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On June 9, the United Nations Security Council voted to approve sanctions that target Iran's defense and nuclear industry. But the Security Council resolution does not list defensive weapons, such as air defense systems, as part of the UN ban on Tehran.Specifically, the sanctions do not block Iran's efforts to acquire the S-300PMU1 air defense system from Russia. "This resolution will put in place the toughest sanctions ever faced by the Iranian government, and it sends an unmistakable message about the international community's commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons," U.S. President Barack Obama said. Officials said UN members...

SNIPPET: "Israel Air Force jets attacked three tunnels in the Gaza Strip in a joint Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet operation on Thursday night, several hours after a Qassam rocket hit the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. Two of the targets attacked were in the southern Strip and one was in the northern Strip. According to the IDF, terrorists were using the tunnels to try to infiltrate Israel. The IDF Spokesperson's Office said the tunnels were located about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the border fence and that the targets were hit. There have been no reports of injuries among...

Two key Russian parliament members said on Friday proposed UN sanctions on Iran would not affect Russia's controversial sale of S-300 missiles to Tehran, the Interfax news agency reported. The possible sanctions would not hurt "current contracts", said Mikhail Margelov, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament: "As far as Russian economic interests are concerned, this draft does not deal a blow to current contracts existing between Russia and Iran," he told journalists. "We need to remember that Russia is a responsible seller of any of its products on external markets...

Three years after the first foreign customer (Syria) received the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft systems, the Russian Air Force is getting some. The Russian Air Force recently received the S1E version, with an improved radar (36 kilometer range) and missile (more reliable). Curiously, the air force is using their first ten Pantsir-S1s to guard S-300 anti-aircraft missile bases located around Moscow. There was no explanation from the Russians as to why they felt a mobile, low level anti-aircraft system was needed to guard a larger, high altitude one. Perhaps additional protection against cruise missiles. The Russians aren't saying. These ten vehicles were...

Russia is lagging 25 to 30 years behind the United States in developing prospective air defense weapons because of a meltdown of its defense industries, a former Russian air force chief said Thursday. Retired Gen. Anatoly Kornukov said Russia has only a reduced capability to protect itself from an enemy attack — a statement that contrasted sharply with the government's claim that the nation's military are getting stronger following a post-Soviet decline. The Defense Ministry has boasted about developing new S-400 air defense missile systems and proudly displayed some of them in Sunday's massive Victory Day parade on Red Square....

SNIPPET: "According to the paper, in accordance with contracts signed between the two, Russia has supplied Syria with S-300 and Iskander missile defense systems, and there are contacts between the sides for the provision of new models of MiG aircraft and air defense systems."

Obama amputates our nuclear arms By: Charles Krauthammer ...snippet...Under President Obama’s new policy, however, if the state that has just attacked us with biological or chemical weapons is “in compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” explained Gates, then “the U.S. pledges not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against it.” Imagine the scenario: Hundreds of thousands are lying dead in the streets of Boston after a massive anthrax or nerve gas attack. The president immediately calls in the lawyers to determine whether the attacking state is in compliance with the NPT. If it turns out that the attacker...

China now has eight battalions of S-300PMU2 anti-aircraft missile systems, on the coast opposite Taiwan. These missiles have a range of 200 kilometers, and are positioned to fire on Taiwanese fighters as soon as they begin to cross the 180 kilometer wide Taiwan straits. This deployment dismayed most Taiwanese, although Taiwanese military leaders pointed out that they have Patriot anti-aircraft missiles deployed along the island coast. But the Patriot only has a range of 70 kilometers, and no one wants to talk about any electronic countermeasures Taiwan might have, that could neutralize the S-300 radars and missiles. It gets worse....

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman expresses Tehran's disappointment with continued delay in the delivery of the S-300 air defense missile system from Russia. Speaking today about the much delayed delivery of the S-300 system to Iran, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said: "This issue has aggrieved our officials," reported ISNA.

: China recently received the last of 15 battalions of S-300MPU anti-aircraft missile systems bought from Russia. Increasingly, however, China is using its own, locally designed and built, HQ-9 systems. These are also being pushed aggressively to export customers as well. Unlike the S-300, China can upgrade the HQ-9 and sell it to anyone. Thus, earlier this year, an HQ-9 anti-aircraft system successfully shot down a ballistic missile. This capability is important to many potential export customers. China offers HQ-9 for export as the FD-2000. The HQ-9 is roughly equivalent to the U.S. Patriot. While about 30 percent of Chinese...

Russia will have complete array of military-space defence capabilities by 2015, according to a leading missile manufacturer. "By 2015, we will have Morfei short-range air-defense complexes, Vityaz, Favorit and S-500 medium-range systems, and something else," said Igor Ashurbeili, general director of the Almaz-Antei concern's design bureau. Russian news agency Ria Novosti quoting him said, the 2015 deadline was linked to the fact that by that time S-300 PS antiaircraft complexes, the first in the S-300 series, would have been taken out of service. Antei is currently developing six new types of air-defense/missile defense systems, of which Ashurbeili has only named...

Russia has shipped China 15 advanced surface-to-air missile systems, the director of the Russian plant which produces the weapons was cited by news agencies as saying on Friday. The truck-mounted air defence S-300 batteries, known by NATO as SA-20 Gargoyles, can target aircraft and ballistic missiles at a range of over 15 kilometres. "We just fulfilled a large contract for the delivery to China of 15 batteries of the new S-300 missile defence systems," Igor Ashurbeili, director of the Almaz-Antei plant was quoted as saying. The contract included the supply of a total of 15 batteries, each usually consisting of...

China buys air defense systems from Russia (Reuters) - Russia has delivered 15 batteries of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to China, Interfax news agency reported on Friday, under a contract analysts said could be worth as much as $2.25 billion. China is a major buyer of Russian weapons, and the two countries say they are trying to forge a strategic partnership, though senior Russian officials are privately concerned about an increasingly assertive China. Russia has delivered 15 S-300 batteries to China, Interfax news agency quoted Igor Ashurbeili, director general of Almaz Antei which makes the missiles, as saying. "We have implemented...

"Air Force strikes in Gaza" SNIPPET: "IDF retaliates for deadly Qassam attack: Air Force hits several Gaza targets, including metal foundry, smuggling tunnel; Vice PM Shalom says Israel to offer strong response to rocket attack that killed Thai worker Thursday" SNIPPET: "IDF aircraft struck at least four targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday, a day after a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave killed a Thai worker in Israel, Hamas security officials and witnesses said." SNIPPET: "Israel also sent a letter of complaint to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is due to visit Israel at the weekend,...

Iran was believed to have been receiving Russian help to develop a variant of the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile. Western intelligence sources said Iran was contracting with Russia for the transfer of S-300 SAM technology. The sources said the technology and expertise provided by Russian engineers would enable Teheran to develop an S-300 variant while claiming that the system was indigenous. "Russia is under heavy U.S. and Israeli pressure not to export the S-300PMU1," a Western intelligence source said. "Instead, Moscow has quietly allowed Russian engineers connected to the S-300 program to work with Iran to develop a variant." The...

Riyadh has reportedly been mulling the purchase of S-300PMU Russian air-defense missile systems and other arms worth as much as $4 billion, possibly as an inducement to Moscow not to supply such advanced weapons to Iran. The Russians are doing just that and their relations with Tehran appear to going sour. So what's holding up a deal with Riyadh that would signal a potentially major geopolitical shift in the Middle East? According to Mark N. Katz, professor of government and politics at George Mason University in Virginia, "Russia's relationship may not be the most important factor in Saudi-Russian arms negotiations...

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Wednesday that it is closely monitoring China's deployment of missiles at a military airport in Fujian province and the Taiwan public has no need to worry. MND spokesman Yu Sy-tue was responding to local newspaper report which cited a Canadian defense magazine as stating that China has deployed eight battalions of S-300 PMU2 surface-to-air missile system at its Longtian military airport in Fujian province, posing a threat to Taiwan's security. The missiles have a range of 200 kilometers, and Taiwanese fighters entering air space in the northern Taiwan Strait will be susceptible to...

Russia will honour a contract to deliver advanced air defence missiles to Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov said Friday. "There is a contract on the delivery of these systems to Iran and we will honour it," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. He said the "delay" in the delivery was "linked to technical problems." Russian officials Wednesday announced a delay in the controversial contract to sell S-300 missiles to Iran, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow in a bid to add new pressure on Tehran. "The delay is due to technical problems. The...

Russia raised Western hopes that it will support tougher international sanctions against Iran’s nuclear programme by announcing a delay in delivery of S-300 advanced air defence missiles. The postponement for unspecified “technical problems” was made public a day after Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, urged Russia to support “crippling” sanctions against Tehran during a visit to Moscow. The United States and Israel have been pressing Russia not to deliver the S-300 missiles, which would make a successful military strike much more difficult if diplomacy failed to resolve the stand-off over Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran insists that its atomic programme is...

The delivery of advanced Russian-made S-300 air defence missiles to Iran has been delayed for technical reasons, a senior Russian official told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday. “The delay is due to technical problems. The delivery will be carried out when they are resolved,” Alexander Fomin, deputy head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, was quoted as saying. Russia’s contract to sell the S-300s to Iran has raised hackles in the United States and Israel, which believe that Tehran could use the sophisticated air defence missiles to defend its nuclear facilities against attack. Western powers suspect that Iran...