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$60bn in defence deals expected to lift Saudi economy Ivan Gale Last Updated: Nov 20, 2010 Boeing, which has orders for Apache helicopters, above, Little Bird helicopters and F-15s will shoulder most of the offset burden. AFP Defence firms selected to provide Saudi Arabia with up to US$60 billion (Dh220.35bn) in arms and military aircraft will generate more than $20bn in economic benefits throughout the kingdom's economy in return. The boost will come via the nation's offset rules, which require the contractors to help build ventures in other sectors of the economy. Saudi Arabia's five planned economic cities, including the...

Well, only a few months after Russia decided not to sell the advanced S-300 surface to air missile system to Iran, spinsters in Tehran are touting a homegrown version of that very missile. From the AP: Iran has successfully tested a newly developed air defense missile system during the country’s biggest ever air defense drill, the country’s military announced Thursday. Iran’s state television said the test was Tehran’s response to Moscow’s refusal to deliver the advanced Russian S-300 air defense system amid U.N. and international sanctions on the country. Gen. Hamid Arjangi, a spokesman for the five-day exercise, said the...

'Weapons of War' Germany Considers Loosening Arms Export Controls REUTERS "Eurofighter," "Leopard," Submarine Class 214: Germany is the third largest weapons exporter in the world, despite restrictive guidelines. Now the federal government wants to make arms sales abroad even easier to make up for defense budget cuts at home. It all started with the French. Years ago, the Defense Ministry in Paris presented an official plan promoting arms exports. The German response? Self-imposed limits. Arms exports should be "restrictive," according to the "Federal Arms Exports Guidelines" from the year 2000. The situation hasn't changed much since. In a recent issue...

Booming Business Germany Now World's Third Largest Arms Exporter German arms exports more than doubled during the last five years, according to a new report, placing the country behind just the US and Russia on the list of the world's largest weaponry exporters. The opposition in Berlin wants more oversight. When it comes to arms exports, few will be surprised that the US tops the list, with 30 percent of global expenditures on arms going to weaponry from America. Second place is likewise hardly a shocker -- 23 percent of the world's weapons originate in Russia. Third place, though, is...

The UN, appalled at the ethnic slaughter going on in Sudan (in the south and the west/Darfur) has put an embargo on weapons shipments to Sudan. Everyone agrees this is a splendid idea, and agrees to abide. Yet Sudan, and various rebel groups, continue to get weapons, and other military equipment. And it's no secret who's supplying the stuff. China ships weapons to the Sudanese government, and denies it. Ukraine appears to be the main supplier of weapons to Sudanese rebels in western and southern Sudan. These are shipped in through Eritrea (for Darfur) and Kenya (for southern Sudan.) It...

India's defence diplomacy: Many forces at work Jyoti Malhotra/New Delhi - Feb 15,2010 00:35 AM Six companies from five countries are competing to sell India military hardware, and the winners will indicate the directions of India's strategic vision. As India contemplates the dawn of a new decade, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must watch with satisfaction the glints in the eyes of foreign nations as they salivate over the $100 billion defence market that India will offer over the next seven to 10 years. The biggest jewel in this star-studded constellation of high-tech avionics, gargantuan platforms and generation next weaponry is...

US arms cartel cranking up its presence in Indian weapons bazaar 7 Feb 2010, 0531 hrs IST, Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN Come you masters of war You that build all the guns You that build the death planes You that build the big bombs You that hide behind walls You that hide behind desks I just want you to know I can see through your masks Some months before Bob Dylan wrote these lines about the US weapons industry in the song Masters of War, outgoing President Dwight Eisenhower coined the term ‘Military-Industrial Complex’ in his 1961 farewell address. He cautioned...

U.S. Defense Exports Still Dominate Market Dec 2, 2009 Robert Wall/Dubai, UAE China, France and Russia are increasingly aggressive in courting customers for their military products, but it is the U.S. that is raking in the big dollars — and increasingly so. What’s more, the U.S.’s improving relationship with India could signal that record high levels of military exports are not just an aberration but are sustainable. This prospect would bring relief to U.S. defense companies, which face the possibility of shrinking modernization projects when Washington starts focusing on cutting its massive budget deficit. A decade ago, the U.S. booked...

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. Arrest of Kenyan Exposes Massive Global Arms Trade The East African Africa News February 25, 2002 Monday Kenya L AST WEEKEND'S arrest of Kenyan-born Sanjivan Ruprah, who is alleged to be a part of a major arms smuggling operation to Africa, has brought into the open the extent of the multi-million dollar illegal business. The whereabouts of Bout remain unknown. Some media reports say he is in Moscow, while others say he is in the Congo or the United Arab Emirates. An international ...

.S. and European investigators say an associate of an international arms dealer was providing key information in efforts to disrupt a network suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban and al Qaeda, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The newspaper cited investigators who said U.S. intelligence agencies working to crack the arms empire of Victor Bout had been aided by inside information from a suspected top associate who is under arrest in Belgium. According to the paper, U.S. and European officials said Bout's associate, Sanjivan Ruprah, was arrested in Belgium earlier this month. U.S. officials and Ruprah's attorney told the ...

Fed up of delays, India shops for non-Russian platforms Express news service Posted online: Friday , May 29, 2009 at 0115 hrs New Delhi : In an articulation of India’s annoyance over nagging delays in several key defence acquisitions, New Delhi finally seems to have decided to reduce its dependence on Russia for military hardware. Two key upcoming acquisitions that Moscow would have liked to believe it had in the bag — the next batch of three aircraft for additional Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) and six refueling aircraft for the Air Force — are all set to...

Gun manufacturing in the Pakistan boondocks. In the clip below you'll see an amazing 'industry' in Pakistan turning out 1000 weapons a day and have done so for seventy years. That is over 25 million firearms...and we think they can be subdued...maybe after killing them all. Mr. Obama has a tall job in front of him, espescially if he believes that he can overcome Islam and their arms to achieve their end... Have a look...

US and Egyptian warships were scouring the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea Tuesday, Jan. 20 to waylay an Iranian freighter carrying scores of heavy rockets for delivery to Hamas. DEBKAfile's exclusive sources report they were acting on intellligence that a ship loaded with an estimated 60 tons of arms to replenish Hamas depleted war stocks had set out from the Iranian Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas on Jan. 17. Our sources reveal that the arms-smuggling vessel started its voyage as the Iran-Hedayat and changed its name in mid sea to Famagustus registered to Panama. The captain was ordered...

U.S. security and law-enforcement officials say they have fresh evidence of recent efforts by Iran to evade sanctions and acquire metals from China used in high-tech weaponry, including long-range nuclear missiles. Iran's efforts are detailed in a series of recent emails and letters between Iranian companies and foreign suppliers seen by The Wall Street Journal. Business records show one Iranian company, ABAN Commercial & Industrial Ltd., has contracted through an intermediary for more than 30,000 kilograms (about 66,000 pounds) of tungsten copper -- which can be used in missile guidance systems -- from Advanced Technology & Materials Co. Ltd. of...

U.S. Rejected Aid for Israeli Raid on Iranian Nuclear Site By DAVID E. SANGER WASHINGTON — President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran’s main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran’s suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to senior American and foreign officials. White House officials never conclusively determined whether Israel had decided to go ahead with the strike before the United States protested, or whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel was trying to...

Modern conventional weapons, deadly as they are, have no monopoly on terrorizing soldiers and civilians. Many military innovations of the past scared the enemy senseless — especially when only one side got to use them. "When you defeat someone psychologically, that's really how you win battles," says Pentagon spokesman and artillery officer Lt. Col. Mark Wright. "If [enemy forces] think they've been beaten, they're going to turn and run." Here, then, are five of the most terrifying conventional weapons of all time. Each was effective because it was a surprise introduction to a conflict, permitted essentially no defense, and only...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Russia is testing a new missile for its formidable S-400 Triumf air defense system that, if it performs according to its claimed specifications, is the most formidable long-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system in the world. Three-star Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, the commander of the Russian air force, announced testing plans for the new missile Tuesday, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The U.S. is now facing a wide new array of weapons being marketed worldwide by Moscow and Beijing. In some cases the weapons are of Western origin. In other cases, the weapons in question are obtained from Russia and China. One such weapon sale threatens to upend the balance of power in the Middle East. Russia stands poised to sell Iran one of the most advanced antimissile systems ever developed despite repeated denials from Moscow. Iran plans to acquire the Russian SA-20 -- NATO codenamed "Gargoyle" -- surface-to-air-missile. The SA-20 is not only a challenge to the air forces of...

KIEV, Ukraine — With the Ukrainian government reeling from a financial crisis and internal power struggles, the country’s pro-Russian opposition has been leveling potentially damaging accusations of improper arms sales to Georgia during that country’s brief war with Russia. And Russia’s leaders, furious with Ukraine’s president over his pro-Western leanings and vocal support of Georgia, have personally weighed in, making accusations of their own. It may not matter that the opposition has provided no conclusive evidence of the claims, despite weeks of pronouncements that the evidence — once released — will be explosive. The claims alone, which have made headlines,...

MOSCOW (AP) — India's navy was supposed to lease the brand-new Russian nuclear submarine that suffered an accident over the weekend which killed 20 people, news reports said Monday. An Indian naval spokesman would not comment Monday on leasing this or any submarine from Russia — but his boss has said previously that India was interested... Full read... http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j3kNPOn62KBcB4-4G9VnNlTG2KgwD94C3TMG0

Venezuela will keep buying weapons from Russia, China and Belarus in the next five years to build up “a sufficient force” to defend its oil reserves from countries like the United States, Operations Command chief Jesus Gonzalez said in an interview last week. “The enemies of Venezuela are all those who want to set up here. I don't doubt that the United States wants to come to look for oil. We have to be prepared: 'If you want peace, prepare for war,’'' said General Gonzalez, who oversees weapon procurement for the Venezuelan armed forces. Even with new president-elect Barack Obama,...

Pirates who seized a Ukrainian ship off the coast of Somalia have reportedly demanded a ransom of $35m (£19m) to release the vessel and its crew.The pirates earlier warned against any attempt to rescue the crew or cargo of the MV Faina, which is carrying 33 battle tanks destined for Kenya. Pirates have seized dozens of ships near Somalia's coast in recent months. A Russian Navy vessel is heading to the region and the US says it is monitoring developments in the area. A spokesman for the pirates, who gave his name as Jalal Jama Ali, told a Somali website...

Excerpt - MOSCOW — A Russian warship on Friday rushed to intercept a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 battle tanks and ammunition that was seized by pirates off the Horn of Africa — a bold hijacking that heightened fears about the surging piracy and high-seas terrorism. ~ snip ~

MOSCOW — A Russian warship on Friday rushed to intercept a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 battle tanks and ammunition that was seized by pirates off the Horn of Africa — a bold hijacking that heightened fears about the surging piracy and high-seas terrorism. U.S. naval ships were in the area and "monitoring the situation," and a U.S. Defense Department official said Washington was concerned about the attack. "I think we're looking at the full range of options here," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. It was unclear whether the pirates who seized the Faina Thursday knew ahead of time it was...

Iran has purchased the S-300 air defense system, a report said. The Bipartisan Policy Center, established in 2007, asserted that Iran has recently purchased the Russian-origin S-300 system. In a report titled "Meeting the Challenge: U.S. Policy Toward Iranian Nuclear Development," the center suggested that Iran has acquired the system.

This is a strange and scary story. It’d be a thriller of a Tom Clancy novel or a Hollywood movie, but it’s real. Take a deep breath, then check it out… A tense standoff is underway in northeastern Somalia between pirates, Somali authorities, and Iran over a suspicious merchant vessel and its mysterious cargo. Hijacked late last month in the Gulf of Aden, the MV Iran Deyanat remains moored offshore in Somali waters and inaccessible for inspection. The MV Iran Deyanat was brought to Eyl, a sleepy fishing village in northeastern Somalia, and was secured by a larger gang of...

India to Order 29 MiG-29Ks in Russia India intends to order additional consignment of 29 MiG-29Ks in Russia, Lenta.ru reported with reference to defense sources of Indian Express. The cost of the order is estimated at around $2 billion, but the negotiations with Moscow haven’t been launched yet. In 2004, India ordered 12 one-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUB under the complex contract for supply of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier cruiser. The deal budget amounted to $1.6 billion. The purchase of the second consignment will enable India to create additional squadrons. India plans to extend the 50 MiG-29K fleet to...

Another Agosta submarine ready By Our Reporter KARACHI, Sept 22: SM Hamza, the second indigenously built Agosta 90B submarine, will be commissioned in the Pakistan Navy on Sept 26, giving a qualitative boost to its capability to defend the country’s maritime boundaries. This was stated by Commodore Hassan Naser Shah, general manager of the submarine construction project, and Commodore Shah Masood at a background briefing at the PN Dockyard on Monday. The commissioning of SM Hamza was termed a historical moment because it has a special feature of air independent propulsion system which increases the diving autonomy of conventional submarines....

A tense standoff is underway in northeastern Somalia between pirates, Somali authorities, and Iran over a suspicious merchant vessel and its mysterious cargo. Hijacked late last month in the Gulf of Aden, the MV Iran Deyanat remains moored offshore in Somali waters and inaccessible for inspection. Its declared cargo consists of minerals and industrial products, however, Somali and regional officials directly involved in the negotiations over the ship and who spoke to The Long War Journal are convinced that it was heading to Eritrea to deliver small arms and chemical weapons to Somalia's Islamist insurgents.

Russia is negotiating the delivery of more air defense systems to Iran in defiance of Western pressure to halt the move, an official says. General Director of Russian arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, made the remark while talking to reporters at the Africa Aerospace & Defense-2008 (AAD-2008) exhibition near Cape Town in South Africa. According to RIA Novosti, , Anatoly Isaikin added that contacts between Iran and Russia on the delivery of air defense systems are continuing and Moscow sees no reason to suspend the negotiation. ""Deliveries of Russian anti-aircraft weaponry to Iran were aimed exclusively at increasing its air defense capability...

WASHINGTON -- The United States has targeted Iran's leading manufacturer of surveillance and combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Co. Treasury said the company, known by its Iranian acronym, HESA, was a key contractor to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and supplying the Ababil UAV. "The IRGC utilizes the Ababil UAV, manufactured by HESA," Treasury said on Sept. 17. "HESA produces different variants of the Ababil UAV, which can be used for surveillance and attack." Officials said HESA, owned by the Defense Ministry, has exported Ababil. They said...

American made hi-tech goods are being used by Iran controlled companies to produce the deadly roadside bombs used by terrorists in Iraq, according to the US government. According to the Miami Herald, the 13-count indictment was handed down by the Federal Government on Wednesday alleging 16 foreigners and overseas businesses had sold hi-tech "dual use" goods to businesses that were actually "fronts to Iran". The companies were doing "business" building roadside bombs, or IED's. Roadside bombs, or IED's, have killed 1722 troops since the US invaded Iraq in March 2003. "The 16 foreign defendants were charged with conspiracy and violations...

Russia defied the United States yesterday by announcing plans to sell military hardware to Iran and Venezuela. The head of the state arms exporter said that he was negotiating to sell antiaircraft systems to Iran despite American objections. Russia has already delivered 29 Tor-M1 missile systems under a $700 million (£386 million) deal with Iran in 2005. Russia's strategic aircraft, the Tu-160 or White Swan, world's largest supersonic bomber. A pair of them touched down in Venezuela this week as Moscow announced big new arms sales “Contacts between our countries are continuing and we do not see any reason to...

MIAMI - A federal grand jury has charged eight individuals and corporations with participation in conspiracies to export U.S.-manufactured commodities to to Iran. The Indictment alleges the defendants caused the export of 120 field-programmable gate arrays, more than 5000 integrated circuits of varying types, approximately 345 Global Positioning Systems (“GPS”), 12,000 Microchip brand micro-controllers, and a Field Communicator. All have military applications as components in IEDs.The charges are the result of an extensive inter-agency investigation into the use of U.S.-made goods in the construction of IEDs used in Iraq and Afghanistan.Charged are: Ali Akbar Yahya, Iranian and British citizen; F.N....

CAPE TOWN, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is negotiating the delivery of more air defense systems to Iran despite Western demands for a halt in sales to Tehran over its refusal to stop uranium enrichment, the head of Russia's arms exporter said Thursday. "Contacts between our countries [on delivery of air defense systems] are continuing and we do not see any reason to suspend them," Rosoboronexport General Director Anatoly Isaikin told reporters at the Africa Aerospace & Defence-2008 (AAD-2008) exhibition near Cape Town in South Africa. The official reiterated that deliveries of Russian anti-aircraft weaponry to Iran were aimed...

Foreign Affairs: Russia has disclosed that it will sell military hardware to Tehran that will protect Iran's nuclear facilities. The time left to halt the Iranian nuclear threat has thus grown that much shorter.Russia's state arms dealer also said Thursday that it will sell anti-aircraft systems, armored personnel carriers and fighter jets to Venezuela. That in itself is worrisome. But the sale of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran is downright alarming. It's conceivable that, once in place, the system will be able to protect the regime's nuclear facilities from an airstrike. Should Iran then be able to continue...

Reports have circulated for some time that Russia is preparing to sell its S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran, offering greater protection against a possible US or Israeli attack on the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities. The missiles have a range of more than 150 kilometres and can intercept jets approaching at low altitudes

Hong Kong, China — China’s official media have released photos of K-8 fighter trainers demonstrating impressive attack power against land-based targets. The aircraft are the same model that China has exported to Sudan, ostensibly for training purposes. However, the K-8 trainers are very much like standard attack aircraft, and their tactical application in the Sudanese Air Force is not only for training but also for land attack operations. The K-8 has flight endurance of three hours, a maximum flight range of 2,100 kilometers, and its combat radius covers the whole of Sudan’s territory

CAPE TOWN, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has successfully reestablished military-technical cooperation with African countries, which saw a decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the head of Russia's state arms exporter said on Wednesday. "We have recently revived our contacts with all African countries that used to be traditional buyers of Soviet weaponry," Rosoboronexport General Director Anatoly Isaykin told a news conference at the Africa Aerospace & Defence-2008 (AAD-2008) exhibition near Cape Town. Russia's arms trade customers in Africa include Algeria, Libya, Angola, Ethiopia, Uganda, Morocco, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and Burkina Faso. African countries are attracted...

MIAMI, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. indictment unsealed in Miami Wednesday accuses 16 individuals and companies of conspiring to export potential military and explosives components to Iran. The U.S. Justice Department said the 13-count superseding indictment returned Sept. 11 names eight individuals and eight companies. Among the charges are conspiracy, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the United States Iran Embargo, and making false statements to federal agencies. The defendants are accused of buying and then illegally exporting "dual use" commodities to Iran, the Justice Department said in a news release. The materials included thousands of...

In a move that could reverse years of Army small arms policy, the service is asking industry to send in ideas for a new combat rifle that could replace the M4 carbine. In late August, the Army issued a solicitation to the arms industry asking companies to submit proposals that would demonstrate "improvements in individual weapon performance in the areas of accuracy and dispersion ... reliability and durability in all environments, modularity and terminal performance." And in a dramatic gesture that could throw the door wide open to a totally new carbine, the service did not constrain ideas to the...

Elements in the Iranian state are sending weapons across the border to the Taleban in Afghanistan, a BBC investigation has uncovered.

While Russian arms sales are sliding, American weapons exports are surging. Russian expects to sell $6 billion worth of weapons this year. But Russia exported $8 billion worth of weapons last year, and there were hopes that sales might reach $10 billion this year. The sudden fall in Russian arms sales comes from problems with the two largest customers; China and India. Meanwhile, U.S. sales are currently about $32 billion a year. The United States and Russia have long been the largest exporters of weapons, accounting for about 70 percent of world sales over the last decade. Traditionally, the U.S....

Advanced Patriot missile defense systems from Germany have been deployed on South Korean Air Force bases and unidentified locations nationwide, in an apparent move to counter the increasing threat of North Korean missiles, a military source said Tuesday. The deployment of upgraded Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) systems is a core part of Seoul's plan to build an independent theater missile defense shield, dubbed the Korean air and missile defense (KAMD) network system. The KAMD, also involving Aegis destroyer ship-to-air missile defense systems, is designed to intercept low-flying, short- and medium-range missiles from North Korea. The North is believed to have...

Iranian military leaders said Monday they are conducting a series of missile defense tests and other armed forces exercises. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Mighani told reporters all of the air-defense units of Iran's ground forces would be involved in the exercises, which will include launches of advanced missiles and other precision-guided weapons, RIA Novosti reported. "The drills are being conducted in more than a half of Iran's provinces," Mighani said. "Their main goal is to rehearse tactical operations with modern weapons and generally to upgrade the operational effectiveness of the country's armed forces."

Albania's government said on Friday it was looking into the sudden death of an arms industry figure who was helping prosecutors investigate a weapons sale to the United States and an explosion that killed 26 people. Television pictures showed businessman Kosta Trebicka, his head covered in blood, sprawled on his back on a dirt road in a remote area of eastern Albania, where he had been hunting. His off-road car was nearby, and appeared to be damaged.

The US Department of Defense has notified Congress of a potential sale of 1,000 smart bombs capable of penetrating underground bunkers to Israel, which would likely be used in the event of a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. The notification of the possible sale to Congress was made over the weekend by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the branch of the Pentagon responsible for evaluating foreign military sales. Congress has 30 days to object the deal. The deal is valued at $77 million and the principal contractor will be Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The bomb which Israel has...

WASHINGTON: The United States is suddenly faced with the uncomfortable scenario of confronting the very same weapons and military hardware, including F-16 fighter jets, it has armed Pakistan with for decades. The unsavoury prospect of having to take a crack at the its one-time ally has surfaced most starkly in the skies over the Afghan-Pakistan border this weekend after the Pakistan Air Force deployed its US-supplied F-16s to challenge the violation of its airspace by US drones, and in one case, an airborne assault that landed US Navy Seals inside Pakistani territory. The turnaround of Pakistan from an ally to...

Despite reservations in Washington regarding a possible Israeli strike on Iran, the American administration will supply Israel with sophisticated weapons for heavily fortified targets, the U.S. administration announced. The U.S. Department of Defense announced it would sell the Israel Air Force 1,000 new smart bombs, rumored to significantly enhance the IAF's military capabilities. The deal was approved amid public and secret messages from Washington, with the Americans expressing their reservations about a possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic's suspected nuclear sites. The Pentagon's announcement, which came on Friday, said the U.S. will provide Israel with 1,000 units of Guided...

Croatia has recently sold advanced S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran, a newspaper in Zagreb reported this week amid conflicting opinions in Israel over whether Teheran has obtained the advanced anti-aircraft system. According to the Web magazine Necenzurirano, Libyan Naval ships were also docking in the Croatian port city of Kraljevica to transfer the system to Iran. Israeli defense officials could not confirm the report but said that Croatia is known to have obtained a number of S-300 systems following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The system was reportedly dismantled several years ago although its exact fate was...