Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

[gmd]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Armenian, good info thanks.

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

In related topic.

The scourge of the US Naval fleet

Sunburn Missile System

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the old military establishment fell upon hard times. But in the late1990s Moscow awakened to the under-utilized potential of its missile technology to generate desperately needed foreign exchange. A decision was made to resuscitate selected programs, and, very soon, Russian missile technology became a hot export commodity. Today, Russian missiles are a growth industry generating much-needed cash for Russia, with many billions in combined sales to India, China, Viet Nam, Cuba, and also Iran. In the near future this dissemination of advanced technology is likely to present serious challenges to the US. Some have even warned that the US Navy's largest ships, the massive carriers, have now become floating death traps, and should for this reason be mothballed.

The Sunburn missile has never seen use in combat, to my knowledge, which probably explains why its fearsome capabilities are not more widely recognized. Other cruise missiles have been used, of course, on several occasions, and with devastating results. During the Falklands War, French-made Exocet missiles, fired from Argentine fighters, sunk the HMS Sheffield and another ship. And, in 1987, during the Iran-Iraq war, the USS Stark was nearly cut in half by a pair of Exocets while on patrol in the Persian Gulf. On that occasion US Aegis radar picked up the incoming Iraqi fighter (a French-made Mirage), and tracked its approach to within 50 miles. The radar also "saw" the Iraqi plane turn about and return to its base. But radar never detected the pilot launch his weapons. The sea-skimming Exocets came smoking in under radar and were only sighted by human eyes moments before they ripped into the Stark, crippling the ship and killing 37 US sailors.

The 1987 surprise attack on the Stark exemplifies the dangers posed by anti-ship cruise missiles. And the dangers are much more serious in the case of the Sunburn, whose specs leave the sub-sonic Exocet in the dust. Not only is the Sunburn much larger and faster, it has far greater range and a superior guidance system. Those who have witnessed its performance trials invariably come away stunned. According to one report, when the Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani visited Moscow in October 2001 he requested a test firing of the Sunburn, which the Russians were only too happy to arrange. So impressed was Ali Shamkhani that he placed an order for an undisclosed number of the missiles.

The Sunburn can deliver a 200-kiloton nuclear payload, or: a 750-pound conventional warhead, within a range of 100 miles, more than twice the range of the Exocet. The Sunburn combines a Mach 2.1 speed (two times the speed of sound) with a flight pattern that hugs the deck and includes "violent end maneuvers" to elude enemy defenses. The missile was specifically designed to defeat the US Aegis radar defense system. Should a US Navy Phalanx point defense somehow manage to detect an incoming Sunburn missile, the system has only seconds to calculate a fire solution not enough time to take out the intruding missile. The US Phalanx defense employs a six-barreled gun that fires 3,000 depleted-uranium rounds a minute, but the gun must have precise coordinates to destroy an intruder "just in time."

The Sunburn's combined supersonic speed and payload size produce tremendous kinetic energy on impact, with devastating consequences for ship and crew. A single one of these missiles can sink a large warship, yet costs considerably less than a fighter jet. Although the Navy has been phasing out the older Phalanx defense system, its replacement, known as the Rolling Action Missile (RAM) has never been tested against the weapon it seems destined to one day face in combat. Implications For US Forces in the Gulf

The US Navy's only plausible defense against a robust weapon like the Sunburn missile is to detect the enemy's approach well ahead of time, whether destroyers, subs, or fighter-bombers, and defeat them before they can get in range and launch their deadly cargo. For this purpose US AWACs radar planes assigned to each naval battle group are kept aloft on a rotating schedule. The planes "see" everything within two hundred miles of the fleet, and are complemented with intelligence from orbiting satellites.

But US naval commanders operating in the Persian Gulf face serious challenges that are unique to the littoral, i.e., coastal, environment. A glance at a map shows why: The Gulf is nothing but a large lake, with one narrow outlet, and most of its northern shore, i.e., Iran, consists of mountainous terrain that affords a commanding tactical advantage over ships operating in Gulf waters. The rugged northern shore makes for easy concealment of coastal defenses, such as mobile missile launchers, and also makes their detection problematic. http://www.rense.com/general59/theSu...ansawesome.htm

Onyx Missile Sysytem (Yakhont)

Designers at the Russian Mashinostroyeniye research and manufacture association Reutovo, a suburban town near Moscow, arrived at the conclusion in the mid-1980s that the countries which had purchased first-generation cruise missiles in the 1970s and the 1980s would need to modernize their missiles in five years' time. Anti-ship missiles made in the U.S., France, Italy and Russia, acquired in large numbers by navies throughout the world, have grown outdated morally and physically. Modern air defense means installed on board ships can easily locate and destroy them.

The first-generation missiles could have been replaced by missiles of the next generation, but their export is prevented under international agreements on nonproliferation of missile technologies. The Mashinostroyeniye designers decided to solve this problem without violating international nonproliferation agreements and fill the export gap. And an anti-ship cruise missile of the fourth generation, named Yakhont, has been developed. Different types of carriers can deliver this unique missile.

Yakhont combines the main qualities of future anti-ship - it has small weight and size, it is invisible for modern radars (Stealth technologies), it flies at supersonic speed and is guided autonomously on a "shot-forgot" principle. Yakhont is an operational and tactical missile. It is designed for hitting complex targets. The new Russian missile can be used against both a single medium ship of the destroyer type and against an aircraft-carrier force.

The Yakhont designers wanted not just to develop high combat qualities but also to make its use and maintenance as cheap as possible. Its original airframe allowed them to increase its aerodynamic properties and diminish its diameter. Yet another new technical innovation is its transport and launching container, which is adapted to most different carriers, and any modification of the missile can be kept in it up to three years. A technical inspection and diagnostics of the missile's mechanisms can be carried out through a special joint on its body.

The universal missile weights only 3 tons, and it can be placed in all kinds of ships or launches of Russian or foreign make. Its guidance system can be used with various types of carriers. If installed on a ship being modernized, three containers with Yakhont missiles can replace a single launching position of an "old" cruise missile. For instance, when modernizing a boat of the 1241 Tarantul project, which was sold well to dozens of countries in the Soviet years, its four P-15 Termit missiles may be replaced with 12 Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles.

When such a missile leaves its launching container, a sold-fuel booster device, installed in the combustion chamber of the sustainer, is switched on. The missile is thus boosted to a speed of 2 Machs. After that the booster unit is switched off, it is ejected from the sustainer by the oncoming air flow, and a Yakhont continues its flight at the speed of 2.5 Machs due to the operation of a direct-flow liquid-fuel air-breathing engine.

The missile's flight range is up to 300 km if it flies along a combined altitude trajectory, and the range is120 km if altitudes range 5 to 15 meters. It passes the main part of its flight at the altitude of 15 km. A Yakhont missile is guided towards a target by an inertia navigational system using the target-indicating data put into it before launching. At a pre-set point of the trajectory (25-80 km), a target-seeking device determines precisely the location of a target. The target seeker is switched on again after a missile trajectory declines sharply down to 5 to 15 meters, at the moment when a few second are left before hitting a target.

The Yakhont designers assume that at a distance of 300 km the enemy may detect a missile launching and do whatever necessary to destroy the missile. But being "deaf" to jamming a Yakhont missile, flying at a speed of 750 meters per second and performing complex tactical maneuvering during the flight, will reach its target anyway. No navy in the world has effective means against the Russian missile. According to military sources, the Russian Yakhont-Onyx ship wreckers are being installed on two Russian vessels - a submarine and a surface ship, which are currently under construction. It is supposed to be used in coastal Bastion anti-ship defense mobile systems moving on motor vehicle chassis. Designers now concentrate on developing a system making it possible to install the missiles on aircraft of the Su-27 and Su-35 types (an aircraft type of such a missile weighs 2.5 tons). So, these Su planes can carry up to three missiles each and use them against both naval and coastal targets.

Military analysts believe that the Yakhont cruise missile will remain unparalleled in the world at least during a decade. This forecast is confirmed by the interest currently displayed by foreign purchasers. A number of countries in the Asian and Pacific region and the Middle East, which purchased Russian ships and boats armed with cruise missiles, have shown interest in Yakhont. Good prospects open up before it also when ships of a foreign make are to be modernized and it can replace U.S., French, or Italian anti-ship missiles. According to Herbert Yefremov, chief designer of Mashinostroyeniye, it is important for Russia to secure a place on the international market of cruise missiles. Experts assess the demands on the market at 7,000 missiles and the cost of deals may exceed $14 billion. http://kursk.strana.ru/english/archive/978617257.html

Additional commentary on Sunburn: http://www.vialls.com/myahudi/sunburn.html

Additional commentary on Onyx: http://www.vialls.com/myahudi/greatsatan.html

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Russian Made Anti-Tank Missiles That Neutralized Israeli Tanks

Hezbollah's sophisticated anti-tank missiles are perhaps the guerrilla group's deadliest weapon in Lebanon fighting, with their ability to pierce Israel's most advanced tanks. Experts say this is further evidence that Israel is facing a well-equipped army in this war, not a ragtag militia. Hezbollah has fired Russian-made Metis-M anti-tank missiles and owns European-made Milan missiles, the army confirmed on Friday. In the last two days alone, these missiles have killed seven soldiers and damaged three Israeli-made Merkava tanks — mountains of steel that are vaunted as symbols of Israel's military might, the army said. Israeli media say most of the 44 soldiers killed in four weeks of fighting were hit by anti-tank missiles.

"They (Hezbollah guerrillas) have some of the most advanced anti-tank missiles in the world," said Yossi Kuperwasser, a senior military intelligence officer who retired earlier this summer. "This is not a militia, it's an infantry brigade with all the support units," Kuperwasser said. Israel contends that Hezbollah gets almost all of its weaponry from Syria and by extension Iran, including its anti-tank missiles. That's why cutting off the supply chain is essential — and why fighting Hezbollah after it has spent six years building up its arsenal is proving so painful to Israel, officials say. Israel's Merkava tanks boast massive amounts of armor and lumber and resemble fortresses on tracks. They are built for crew survival, according to Globalsecurity.org, a Washington-based military think tank. Hezbollah celebrates when it destroys one.

"A Zionist armored force tried to advance toward the village of Chihine. The holy warriors confronted it and destroyed two Merkava tanks," the group proclaimed on television Thursday. The Israeli army confirmed two attacks on Merkava tanks that day — one that killed three soldiers and the other killing one. The three soldiers who were killed on Friday were also killed by anti-tank missiles, the army said. It would not say whether the missiles disabled the tanks.

"To the best of my understanding, they (Hezbollah) are as well-equipped as any standing unit in the Syrian or Iranian armies," said Eran Lerman, a retired army colonel and now director of the Israel/Middle East office of the American xxxish Committee. "This is not a rat-pack guerrilla, this is an organized militia." Besides the anti-tank missiles, Hezbollah is also known to have a powerful rocket-propelled grenade known as the RPG29. These weapons are also smuggled through Syria, an Israeli security official said, and were previously used by Palestinian militants in Gaza to damage tanks.

On Friday, Jane's Defense Weekly, a defense industry magazine, reported that Hezbollah asked Iran for "a constant supply of weapons" to support its operations against Israel. The report cited Western diplomatic sources as saying that Iranian authorities promised Hezbollah a steady supply of weapons "for the next stage of the confrontation." Top Israeli intelligence officials say they have seen Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers on the ground with Hezbollah troops. They say that permission to fire Hezbollah's longer-range missiles, such as those could reach Tel Aviv, would likely require Iranian go-ahead. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060805/...lah_s_missiles

Hezbollah anti-tank fire causing most IDF casualties in Lebanon

The majority of Israel Defense Forces ground troops casualties, both infantry and armored, were the result of special anti-tank units of Hezbollah, according to intelligence sources. The same sources note that these units have not retreated from southern Lebanon following the deployment of large IDF ground forces in the area. The Hezbollah anti-tank teams use a new and particularly potent version of the Russian-made RPG, the RPG-29, that has been sold by Moscow to the Syrians and then transferred to the Shi'ite organization.

Some of the IDF casualties resulted when the rockets struck homes in which IDF troops had taken positions. This was the case when four soldiers of the elite Egoz unit were killed in the village of Bint Jbail. In that case a Sagger anti-tank missile had been used. The RPG-29's penetrating power comes from its tandem warhead, and on a number of occasions has managed to get through the massive armor of the Merkava tanks.

The IDF had intelligence information on Hezbollah plans to deploy specialized anti-tank teams in order to delay the advance of IDF ground forces. The special focus Hezbollah gave to anti-tank weapons as part of their doctrine was revealed during the raid on the border village of Ghajar in November 2005.
During that attack, Hezbollah fighters attempted to kidnap IDF soldiers, and some of the guerrillas were killed and their bodies left behind. This was the same unit that fought in Bint Jbail and whose men were killed there.

During the battle at Ghajar, which is inside Israeli territory and has an Alawite population, Hezbollah fighters fired more than 300 anti-tank rockets of different types, including the new RPG-29, which targetted various armored vehicles and two Merkava Mark-2 tanks. One of the two tanks had the necessary armor to deflect the missiles, but the other took a hit to the body.

Following the battle at Ghajar, Israeli inquiries that Russia was transferring modern anti-tank weapons to Syria and on to Hezbollah were received with anger. The Russians demanded proof that this had been done. Contrary to common practice, Israel transferred to Russia the tail-end of a rocket for analysis. The Russian response was that in the absence of a serial number they were hard pressed to identify it as part of a load delivered to Syria.

The IDF believes Hezbollah also has an advanced anti-aircraft missile, the SA-18, from Iran. It is particularly lethal against helicopters, and even though none of the missiles have been fired against Israel Air Force aircraft, the flights over Lebanon are taking the necessary precautions. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/746929.html

Sagger Anti-Tank Missile: http://warfare.ru/?lang=&linkid=2202&catid=261



Metis-M Anti-Tank Missile: http://naoruzanje.paracin.co.yu/metis.html

Kornet Anti-Tank Missile: http://www.army-technology.com/projects/kornet/



RPG-29 Anti-Tank Granade: http://warfare.ru/?lang=&catid=278&linkid=1845

[ArmenianKid]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Iraq had only a few T-90s and T-80s. Not even a whole regiment's worth. It suprised the hell out of us.

And im not high on crushing a 'weaker force'. And the Iraqis were hurting us prety bad using IEDs and Advanced RPG models. A Rocket tore into our tank's deck busted threw the engine and came out the other side, starting a fire which made us bail out.

Im not doubting the russian's weapons. I doubt their ability to deploy them in a open war. Not that their men can't do it. i doubt if the government can handle the cost.

Now theres many kinds of M1 tanks. Theirs the M1 Abrams (used in desert storm) the M1A1 Abrams(used in OIF and OEF. it has a bigger main gun and more armor) and the M1A2 SEP Abrams (Used in OIF/OEF and has the same gun and armor. But has a computer system that allows the turret to turn itself when the tank commander targets something while the gunner is already locked on and firing. Meaning a gun that can fire on target as fast as the loader can load.)
I was in a M1A2.

While i would never want to go to war with anyone. EVER. I would fear going to war with Russia or Iran more then anyone else. Iran's armor is advanced and their crews are well trained. Same with Russia.

And its True the Merkava MK4 is pretty much on par with the M1A1 Abrams. And most missle that could kill it, would kill a abrams.

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Iraq had only a few T-90s and T-80s. Not even a whole regiment's worth. It suprised the hell out of us.

T-80s perhaps, T-90 - I highly doubt it. Look into this matter as well, it could be misinformation. Most American battle field intel officers would not be able to tell the difference between a T72, a T80 or a T90.

And im not high on crushing a 'weaker force'. And the Iraqis were hurting us prety bad using IEDs and Advanced RPG models. A Rocket tore into our tank's deck busted threw the engine and came out the other side, starting a fire which made us bail out.

The match, metaphorically speaking, was like a fight between Mike Tyson in his prime against - Pee Wee Herman. And as you said, they did hurt you, relatively speaking.

Im not doubting the russian's weapons. I doubt their ability to deploy them in a open war. Not that their men can't do it. i doubt if the government can handle the cost.

Russia has something like 10% of the world's land mass, 20% of raw materials and only 2% of world population. You do the math. The government in Russia today is awash in billions upon billions of Petrodollars. Siberia has vast amounts of untapped natural resources such as gold, diamonds, fresh water, natural gas, petrol, minerals, heavy metals, etc. As a matter of fact, it is the US that is going bankrupt due to these senseless wars against phantom enemies.

While i would never want to go to war with anyone. EVER. I would fear going to war with Russia or Iran more then anyone else. Iran's armor is advanced and their crews are well trained. Same with Russia.

Well, in reality, all this BS about fighting "Al-Qaeda" and "Islamic terrorism" has to do with destroying Iran (although its has nothing to do with Al-Qaeda and/or international Islamic terrorism) and isolating Russia. The greatest fear f orthe 'political elite' in this country is the reawakening of Russia and its potential alliance with the China. The other less, yet more urgent, fear is Iran. Iran poses the US and the Zionist State of Israel with a major geopolitical problem.

With a powerful Iran in the Mideast, Globalists and Zionists can't realize their grand agenda to isolate Russia, preserve the long term well being of Israel and tame China. Thus, Iran has to be destroyed one way or another. They would prefer to do it from within via a "student" revolution. Another way would be to isolate it and starve it like they did to Iraq. However, none of the aforementioned will happen to Iran for Iran is too wealthy, too large, too well organized and too well connected internationally.

As a result, they will have to resort to military action - before Iran is well established as a major superpower. And here is where it will go quite ugly. If America attempts to invade Iran, it will be the worst blood bath for American troops since the civil war. Most American warships and military bases are within striking distance of very accurate "smart" missiles. Just imagine the "shock and awe" as the American public watches the sinking of a "Nimitz" class aircraft carrier by a Rusian made Sunburn missile.

Most senior military officers know the grave dangers associated with attacking Iran, however, they are powerless to do anything about it because American foregin policy is not being run by Americans today. So, it does not matter how many Americans will be killed or how many Iranians will be killed, it matters that you the soldier protect the Zionist State and the regional oil fields.

Btw, everyone in the world knows that Islamic militants are trained and funded by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia - America closest regional allies. Everyone in the world knows that Ossama and company are in Pakistan.

So, I have a question for you: What were you doing in Iraq? And why are your officers planning a war with Iran?



Please answer.

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Related information:

Russia Owns New Unbeatable Missile Systems — Putin

“Russia last year tested missile systems that no one in the world has and won’t have for a long time,” he was quoted by the ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies as telling a news conference.

“These missile systems don’t represent a response to a missile defense system, but they are immune to that. They are hypersonic and capable of changing their flight path.”

Putin said he had shown the working principles of the missile systems to French President Jacques Chirac during a visit to a Russian military facility, AP added.

“He knows what I’m talking about,” RIA-Novosti quoted Putin as telling reporters after state-run news channels cut their live broadcast of the news conference.

The U.S. defense system against long-range missiles is limited mainly to an installation in Alaska, where at least six missile interceptors are in underground silos, linked to a command and control system. It is designed mainly to shoot down missiles fired at U.S. territory from North Korea, with future expansion planned.

Link: http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=15989

Top Missile Designer Says Russia's Covered

In a rare news conference, the designer of Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles dismissed on Thursday a warning that Russia was falling behind the United States in the number of active nuclear warheads it has and said his Topol-M and Bulava missiles would serve as a sufficient deterrent until at least 2040.

"I assure you that the number of active warheads the strategic nuclear forces will have in 2015 and even in 2020 will be no less than 2,000," said Yury Solomonov, head and chief designer at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, Russia's leading designer of intercontinental missiles. Solomonov's assertion came in response to speculation in analytical circles that the number of Topol-Ms commissioned every year would have to be quadrupled to leave Russia with 1,700 operational warheads by 2012.

President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush signed the Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty in 2002, which requires both sides to cut their nuclear arsenals to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads by 2012. Russian defense analysts are concerned that the number of Russian nuclear weapons could fall below the treaty's lower threshold because only five to six single-warhead Topol-Ms are being rolled out every year, while an increasing number of Soviet-made missiles carrying multiple warheads are being decommissioned.

To compensate for the decommissioned missiles, the military will announce later this year a plan to adapt the Bulava missile, which can carry six warheads but is designed for nuclear submarines, for land launches, Solomonov said. He refused to elaborate. Adapting the Bulava for land launches is a logical and feasible strategy, said Vasily Lata, a retired lieutenant general and defense analyst at the PIR Center, a security think tank.

"It could be put into reality in two to three years, given adequate financial support from the state," Lata said.

The design of the Topol-M and Bulava should remain superior to all ballistic missiles operated by foreign countries for the next 15 to 20 years, and they will form the core of the Russian nuclear forces for the next 35 years, Solomonov said. "Russians can sleep peacefully through 2040," he assured reporters. He said the two missiles were second to none in surviving a nuclear strike or an attempt to destroy them by laser beams. They also can easily penetrate any missile shield, including the fledgling U.S. national missile defense system, Solomonov said. Bulava and Topol-M drop their engines much faster than their U.S. analogs, making them hard to detect early, he said, adding that this and other features would allow the re-entry vehicles to pierce any missile shield "with a probability of one."

Solomonov said that the first land-based mobile regiment of Topol-Ms would be commissioned this year. So far, about 300 Topol-Ms and the less-advanced Topol missile systems are deployed in land-based silos. The first 12 Bulava systems will be commissioned in 2008 on the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear submarine that is now being built in Severodvinsk, he said. Two Bulavas have been test-launched, and at least eight more will be fired before the missile can be commissioned, he said. Russia's strategic nuclear forces will replace their last Soviet-era weapons with Topol-Ms and Bulavas by 2015, and the two missiles will be commissioned through 2020, Solomonov said.

Link: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...04/14/012.html

Russian bombers flew undetected across Arctic - AF commander

MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military planes flew undetected through the U.S. zone of the Arctic Ocean to Canada during recent military exercises, a senior Air Force commander said Saturday. The commander of the country's long-range strategic bombers, Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov, said the U.S. Air Force is now investigating why its military was unable to detect the Russian bombers.

"They were unable to detect the planes either with radars or visually," he said.

Khorov said that during the military exercises in April, Tu-160 Blackjack bombers and Tu-95 Bears had successfully carried out four missile launches. Bombing exercises were held using Tu-22 Blinders. By the end of the year, two more Tu-160s will be commissioned for the long-range strategic bomber fleet, Khorov said.

Both new planes will incorporate numerous upgrades from the initial Soviet models, the commander said. The bombers will be able to launch both cruise missiles and aviation bombs, and communicate via satellite.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060422/46792049.html

Russia tests missile

Moscow, April 23 (AP): Russia test-launched a missile today and a military commander said US missile-defence plans could threaten the strategic balance between the former Cold War foes, Russian news agencies reported. Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces, which are responsible for the country's ballistic missiles, successfully launched the K65M-R missile from a testing ground at Kapustin Yar in the southern Astrakhan region, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The commander of the forces, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, said the main purpose of the launch was to test "a uniform warhead for land- and sea-based ballistic missiles" and newly developed elements of a system designed to penetrate missile defenses, Interfax reported.

Solovtsov said plans for a US missile-defence system "could upset strategic stability", the agency reported, suggesting that the test was part of an effort to ensure that Russian missiles are capable of foiling any US shield. He said the test involved optic and radar measurement systems that reproduce similar US systems, according to Interfax. President Vladimir Putin has boasted that Russia has missiles capable of penetrating any missile defence system, specifying that they can change their flight path on approach to a target. Solovtsov said the system being tested today would make missiles more difficult to spot and their trajectories more difficult to predict.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0604231024.htm

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, nobel laureate accuses US, NATO of encircling Russia

Moscow, April 28 (AP): Nobel laureate and former Soviet dissident, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, in a newspaper interview accused the United States and NATO of seeking to encircle Russia, and praised President Vladimir Putin for working to restore a strong state.

In a rare interview, the reclusive 87-year-old author, who rose to prominence for his accounts of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's repression and labour camps, told the liberal weekly 'Moscow News' that NATO's ultimate aim was the loss of Russia's sovereignty, according to a full text of the interview posted on its web site edition on Thursday.

"Though it is clear that present-day Russia poses no threat to it, NATO is methodically and persistently building up its military machine - into the east of Europe and surrounding Russia from the south," Solzhenitsyn was quoted as saying.

"This involves open material and ideological support for 'colour revolutions' and the paraxodical forcing of North Atlantic interests on Central Asia," he reportedly said, adding that there was "little substantial difference" between the actions of the US and NATO.

"All this leaves no doubt that they are preparing to completally encircle Russia and deprive it of its sovereignty," Solzhenitsyn was quoted as saying.

Russia was furious at what it saw as Western encroachment on its home turf after a series of peaceful revolutions brought opposition leades to power in the former Soviet republics Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

Link: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0604280921.htm

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Sino Russian Trade Soars

A report about the record scale of Sino-Russian trade, which reached $29 billion in 2005 -- a 37.1 percent increase -- came out in December and was supplemented in the first two months of this year. Importantly, during this period bilateral trade has been scrutinized in the context of the upcoming visit of the Russian president to China. The report's conclusion is that during Putin's presidency Sino-Russian trade has more than tripled. The point of departure is 2000, with the volume of trade amounting to $8.3 billion. The Russian economy has also grown, but not to such an extent. In other words, Sino-Russian commerce is surpassing Russia's economic growth as a whole.

China is not the only case in point. Trade with France has also almost tripled, reaching $9 billion a year. But these rates have not turned France into Russia's second trade partner after Germany. This place is occupied by China. It is difficult to quote accurate data because Russia and China have always engaged in border trade, which is estimated at several billion dollars on top of the official figure and makes the statistics extremely confusing. It is no surprise that Asia's importance for Russia is rapidly growing. Asia is attracting greater attention from the rest of the world as well.

The question of who it is better to trade with -- East or West -- does not depend on political preferences but is the choice of the market's invisible hand. Otherwise, why was there so much talk under former President Boris Yeltsin about the need to cross the $10 billion mark in Sino-Russian trade, a target which seemed unrealistic and was not achieved at that time?

After the year 2000, however, the situation underwent a dramatic change. Bilateral trade virtually doubled between 2003 and 2005, a rare case in world practice. Nevertheless, although China has become Russia's second partner after Germany, the reverse is not true. Russia's share in China's entire trade is a little over 2 percent. In other words, Moscow depends more on Beijing than the other way round. It is not easy to level out this imbalance.

Mutual economic dependence is a coveted target in international relations because it makes them stable, peaceful and predictable. Sino-U.S. relations are one example. In theory, the two countries should be extremely tense as many Americans are horrified by the prospect of China replacing the United States as the world's economic leader within the next 25-45 years. But in reality, Beijing and Washington treat each other with care.

Out of China's 863 large commercial airplanes, 534 are Boeings, for which the United States received $40 billion. A considerable portion of Boeing spare parts found all over the world are assembled in China. Moreover, China has already credited the U.S. economy with $300 billion, having bought securities from the U.S. Treasury. Even if the two countries are strategic rivals, this does not prevent them from being locked in a strong economic embrace.

Despite its trade record with China, Russia is not as economically important for China as the U.S. But China certainly needs Russia. The latest statistics of bilateral trade show the share of raw materials (oil, timber, fish, metals) in Russia's exports to China is on the upsurge. In 2005, this figure reached almost 90 percent of Russia's overall exports to China. As for oil deliveries, Russia is China's fifth-largest partner after Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman and Angola.

But China cannot export raw materials because it has none. Instead, it has recently become the world's assembly shop. Both Moscow and Beijing are trying to find out a roundabout way of overcoming this unpleasant trend. Both sides want to make Russia's exports of raw materials more science-intensive. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao agreed to draft a program on bilateral trade and economic cooperation for 2006-2010. Today, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Chinese Ministry of Trade are working on this program. The document will be practically completed by the time of Putin's forthcoming visit to China.

The main goals of the plan are to at least double bilateral trade again to reach $60 billion by 2010, and attract $12 billion worth of Chinese investment to the Russian economy. These objectives require a change in the entire pattern of bilateral trade. Russia will not amend its intention to increase oil supplies to China. The amount, carried by trains alone, will be brought to 15 million tons. But apart from exporting oil, Russia is capable of offering energy generation technologies and these matters are now on the agenda.

[...]

Source: United Press International http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Sino...ade_Soars.html

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

'Bring It On': Why Dr. Ahmadinejad Is Not Worrying

by Gary North
Link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north429.html

The Iranians are contemplating two developments. First, to create a new oil exchange in March 2006, which will sell Iranian oil for euros. Second, to develop the nation's nuclear technology capabilities, possibly for producing nuclear weapons, but officially for the generation of electricity.

Officially, the Bush Administration is deeply concerned about the second development. I have no doubt that it is deeply concerned in a surrogate sort of way, because politicians in the State of Israel are deeply concerned. They resent the fact that an Islamic country that is a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (1970) is taking steps that might conceivably lead to a deliberate violation of that treaty – a treaty that the State of Israel never signed, so as not to interfere with the production of hundreds of nuclear weapons.

In contrast to its official concern over Iran's nuclear developments, the Bush Administration says not a word publicly about the first development, strictly peaceful, which would create new international demand for euros in place of dollars. This could break apart the lock-step decision of OPEC governments to accept payment only in dollars, a possibility welcomed by the Islamic press.

In an era when the dollar is the world's reserve currency, held by central banks as a legal reserve for their nations' domestic currencies, central bankers inflate their domestic currencies in order to purchase dollar-denominated, low-return investment assets. This is part of the mercantilism of central banking: an indirect subsidy to the domestic export sectors at the expense of monetary stability and also consumer sovereignty at home.

The introduction of a new oil market transacted in euros is a significant symbolic challenge to U.S. economic leadership. Symbols are important, which is why political leaders adopt them. After all, President Bush did not have to be flown in a naval jet from San Diego's Naval Air Station to the Abraham Lincoln, which was floating just far enough away from San Diego to make a helicopter flight plausibly unacceptable. The carrier could have come a few miles closer to shore on the day before the famous "Mission Accomplished" photo-op and speech, which remains on the White House website: President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended. But, as the title of that speech reveals, symbols are not a politically safe substitute for reality.

How safe is Iran? To answer this crucial question, consider how it might be answered by Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

THE DOCTOR IS IN!

The President of Iran holds a Ph.D. in engineering. Presumably, he has a working concept of cause and effect. He rules in a Shi'ite-dominated nation that is sitting on top of what are the second-largest oil reserves in the world: 126 billion barrels. Iraq, commonly cited as number two, is probably number three, and given its present pipeline infrastructure and delivery problems, not a major factor.

He has replaced rule by the mullahs, who have been unable to persuade Iran's youth to give up Western fashions, music, and dreams of economic prosperity. Yet toned-down attacks on Khomeini's "Great Satan" still have a political market. The President regards himself as what the American political tradition designates as a populist. He still lives in a small house in a working class neighborhood. Symbols do count for something. From what we can tell from his language, he is a certifiable apocalyptic. He has said publicly that his work must prepare the way for the return of the Mahdi, Islam's long-expected messianic deliverer.

In December 2005, after the crash of an ancient C-130 military plane in which 108 people died, he made : "But what is important is that they have shown the way to martyrdom which we must follow." This was a calculated political statement that was aimed at the hearts of tens of millions of Shi'ite voters. He who assumes otherwise does not understand the rhetoric of successful politicians. They know their market.

Why would this man fear an air attack by the United States? What has he got to lose?

HEADS, HE WINS

Consider his situation. He presides over a country whose majority regards Iran as a working political and spiritual model for the rest of Islam. Iran has oil. It is modernizing. It is Shi'ite. Shi'ites have now seen the defeat of their long-time Sunni enemy, Iraq. The elected government in Iraq is predominantly Shi'ite. He has positioned himself as the Middle East's preeminent nose-tweaker of the United States. In his November 17, 2005 speech before the United Nations General Assembly, he challenged the moral authority of the United States government to oppose Iran's development of nuclear power. He did not mention the United States by name. He did not need to. His audience understood.

Thousands of nuclear warheads that are stockpiled in various locations coupled with programs to further develop these inhuman weapons have created a new atmosphere of repression and the rule of the machines of war, threatening the international community and even the citizens of the countries that possess them.

Ironically, those who have actually used nuclear weapons, continue to produce, stockpile and extensively test such weapons, have used depleted uranium bombs and bullets against tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Kuwaitis, and even their own soldiers and those of their allies, afflicting them with incurable diseases, blatantly violate their obligations under the NPT, have refrained from signing the CTBT and have armed the Zionist occupation regime with WMDs, are not only refusing to remedy their past deeds, but in clear breech of the NPT, are trying to prevent other countries from acquiring the technology to produce peaceful nuclear energy.

All these problems emanate from the fact that justice and spirituality are missing in the way powerful governments conduct their affairs with other nations. He was killing two birds with one rhetorical stone, linking the Great Satan with the Middle East's universally hated nation, and then blaming the United States for that pariah nation's nuclear weapons capabilities.

How could this speech hurt him back home? How could it hurt him in Islamic streets? What if the United States drops assorted non-nuclear weapons on Iran before the bourse opens? The potential targets are many; the underground facilities will be hard to destroy. But what if all of them are taken out?

Iran instantly wins the legitimacy sweepstakes. Dr. Ahmadinejad becomes the first universally respected Shi'ite political leader in the Sunni- and Wahhabi-dominated Middle East. All across the Middle East, restive Muslims in the streets will start murmuring: "Where is our leader? Why doesn't he stand up to the United States?" The answer is obvious: because he has long been bought off by the United States. Because, in the immortal words of Lyndon Johnson, the United States has his pecker in its pocket.

There will soon be a lot of newly exposed members at risk. An unprovoked American attack on Iran will instantly and permanently de-legitimize every American client state in the Middle East. If the United States bombs Iran, the Bush Administration might as well send that "Mission Accomplished" banner to Al Qaeda headquarters.

The crucial issue here is political legitimacy of the nation-state. This is the supreme political issue of our day, as the great Israeli military historian Martin Van Creveld has argued in his book, The Rise and Decline of the State (Cambridge University Press, 1999). It is also the supreme strategic issue of fourth-generation warfare, the warfare of the rest of this century. The day the bombs begin to fall, the mullahs will join ranks with teenagers in the streets of Tehran. Dr. Ahmadinejad will become as politically immune from public criticism as Mr. Bush was on September 12, 2001.

TAILS, WE LOSE

The day after the bombs begin to fall on Iran, clandestine weapons will begin to flow westward across the Iran-Iraq border. The Shi'ites in Iraq will instantly become the long-lost cousins of the Sunni resistance movement. There is an old Muslim saying,

"My brother and I against our cousin. We and our cousin against the world."

The United States' troops on the ground will discover the deadly power of that alliance. All co-operation from the Shi'ites will cease. There will be a unified anti-American front south of the Kurdish region. The United States will be told to get out. If the government of Iraq does not issue this order immediately, its members had better be sure to renew their life insurance policies. The Iraqi army will melt into the countryside. Anyone who stands up will be shot down.

HEAP BIG SMOKE, BUT NO FIRE

President Bush can issue warnings. The Administration can talk tough. But what is the point? The President of Iran can call the President of the United States's bluff, if it is a bluff. He is doing this, day by day. He is not going to cooperate with the United Nations. There is no need to. If it is not a bluff, and the bombs fall, the United States' client regimes in the Middle East are as good as gone. We will then be driven out of Iraq. This message will be fully understood by every Muslim in the street. The Great Satan can be whipped. No better reason exists to start looking for a local client to whip.

CONCLUSION

Iran cannot be occupied by U.S. troops. As retired four-star general and NBC commentator Barry McCaffrey said in mid-2005, the wheels are already close to coming off the Army's machine in Iraq. So, the enforcement of any anti-nuclear technology development program is a bluff.

Iran's program can be delayed a few years by bombing, but only at the price of solidifying Dr. Ahmadinejad's rule in Iran and making him a regional symbol of Islamic defiance. In this non-elected office, he will replace Osama bin Laden. The difference is, Ahmadinejad is a legitimately elected President of a nation with a lot of oil.

This is about oil, political power, currencies, and above all, legitimacy. It is about the ability of the United States to change regimes its way and then preserve these new regimes from replacement by domestic enemies. The United States and its client state regimes will be replaced in the Middle East. It is only a matter of time. If the United States bombs Iran, the timetable will speed up.

You may have heard of the catbird seat. Dr. Ahmadinejad is sitting in it.

[Armenian]

Re: Armenian Armor Brigade Trains in the US

Iran test fires missile capable of evading radar.

Iran successfully test-fired a new locally produced missile capable of evading radar detection and hitting several targets at the same time, the Iranian military announced on Friday, according to Reuters.

"Today we have successfully tested a new-generation missile capable of hitting different targets at the same time," the commander of the Revolutionary Guards air force, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, told state television. The missile which Salami described as a “defensive weapon”, can evade radar and anti-missile missiles. It was tested on the first day of week-long military exercises in the Gulf, that involve ground and air forces to show Iran's "defensive capabilities," the official IRNA news agency reported.

"This technology is completely new, without copying any other missile systems that may exist in other countries," he said, adding that the missile could carry multiple warheads. Television said the new missile was called “Fajr-3” and that it is a “long-range missile”, but Salami didn’t name the weapon or give its range, saying it depended on the warhead weight.

Iran already has medium-range Shahab-3 missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers. Israeli analysts say that the Shahabs can reach Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East. The U.S.-based military affairs Web site globalsecurity.org describes the new Iranian missile as a 240 mm artillery rocket with a 25-mile range.

It also says that Iran has been working on another missile, called the Kosar, also capable of avoiding radar and sinking ships in the Gulf. Western states have been watching developments in Iran’s missile capabilities with concern amid a standoff over the Iranian nuclear program. Link: http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=10794

Iran tests fastest underwater missile

Iran has announced its second major new missile test in a week, saying that it has successfully fired a high-speed underwater missile capable of destroying warships and submarines. General Ali Fadavi, deputy head of the Navy of the Revolutionary Guards, said the missile has a speed of 360 kph underwater - the fastest in the world. The Iranian missile has the same speed as the Russian-made VA-111 Shkval, developed in 1995 and believed to be the world's fastest - three or four times faster than a torpedo. It was not immediately known if the Iranian missile, which has not yet been named, was based on the Shkval, and whether it can carry a nuclear warhead.

"It has a very powerful warhead designed to hit big submarines. Even if enemy warship sensors identify the missile, no warship can escape from this missile because of its high speed," Fadavi told state-run television.

Military manoeuvres

The missile test was conducted during the third day of large-scale military manoeuvres by tens of thousands of soldiers in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, part of Iran's "Holy Prophet" war games. On Friday, Iran test-fired the Fajr-3 missile, which can avoid radars and hit several targets simultaneously using multiple warheads. The Revolutionary Guards said the test was successful. The missile tests and war games coincide with increasing tension between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear programme.

The United States and its allies believe Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran denies that, saying its programme is for generating electricity. The UN Security Council is demanding that Iran halt its uranium enrichment activities. But an Iranian envoy has said its activities are "not reversible". Iran launched an arms development programme during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armoured personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...7C4E6255A0.htm

Russian missile exports to Iran alarm US

Washington has asked Moscow to reconsider selling Iran anti-aircraft missiles as the crisis over its nuclear programme continues. Russia plans to sell Tehran 29 TOR M1 mobile surface-to-air missile defence systems in a deal said to be worth about US $700 million (£392m).

"This is not time for business as usual with the Iranian government," a top US state department official said. The US also urged other states like China to review defence sales to Iran.

'Wrong time'

"There are a lot of countries that allow the export of dual-use technologies, and the position of the United States is that should be prohibited," said Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns. "All countries should refrain from military sales and arm sales." Speaking about the Russian missiles, he said:

"We hope and we trust that that deal will not go forward because this is not time for business as usual with the Iranian government."

Russia and China are both strongly resisting attempts to impose United Nations sanctions on Iran, which the US and other Western states believes is pursuing nuclear weapons. The US arms appeal is a sign of increasing concern in Washington at the speed with which Iran is pursuing its programme, the BBC's Jonathan Beale reports from Washington.

New report

Russia says it has to see concrete proof that Iran's nuclear programme - which it is supplying with technology - is not peaceful.

[...]

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...st/4932814.stm

Video of high velocity underwater missile test: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...missiles&hl=en

Video of Iranian built "Stealth" flying boat and missile tests: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...missiles&hl=en