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Russia to deliver more S-300 air defense systems to Belarus

Russia will continue deliveries of S-300 air defense systems to Belarus, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Wednesday.

Belarus has several battalions equipped with Russian-made S-300 air defense systems on combat duty as part of the Russian-Belarusian integrated air defense network.

"We have completed the first stage of modernization of the Belarusian S-300 air defense systems and agreed to intensify work on further deliveries of these systems to Belarus," Serdyukov said after a meeting of Russian and Belarusian defense officials in Minsk.

Moscow and Minsk signed an agreement in February 2009 on the joint protection of the Russia-Belarus Union State's airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defense network.

"We are strengthening this network," Serdyukov said.

US continues support of NATO operations in Libya

A U.S. military fighter jet destroyed two of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's surface-to-air missile sites near the Libyan capital of Tripoli April 18, continuing U.S. support of NATO operations there, officials reported.

Since NATO took the lead of multilateral operations in Libya on April 1, U.S. military aircraft have flown more than 800 sorties in support of Operation Unified Protector.

More than 150 of those sorties have been "suppression of enemy air defense missions,eight of which included ordnance drops, officials said.

The tempo of NATO operations in Libya remains high,alliance spokesman Oana Lungescu told reporters April 19, from NATO headquarters in Belgium. Allied aircraft have flown more than 2,800 missions, about half of which were airstrikes on Colonel Gadhafi's forces and facilities.

"We are keeping up the pressure on the Gadhafi regime forces to stop their brutal onslaught against civilians," Ms. Lungescu said. "It's a challenging task, but we are making significant progress in weakening Gadhafi's ability to use his military machine against his own people."

World offers cash, defense means to Kadhafi foes

France and Britain agreed to step up military pressure on Moamer Kadhafi's regime after world powers meeting in Doha promised Libya's rebels cash and the means to defend themselves.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed on stepped up military pressure at a working dinner in Paris ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin beginning Thursday, a source in the French presidency said.

"All means must be made available" in the fight against Kadhafi, the source said, amid efforts by London and Paris to step up pressure on their NATO allies to help defeat his regime.

The diplomatic moves came amid rising friction within the alliance over a NATO air campaign in Libya that has so far failed to change the balance of power on the ground in Libya.

China sells limited supplies of arms to Venezuela

China has sold "very limited" supplies of weapons to Venezuela as it increases its activities in Latin America, mainly for commercial reasons, a Defense Department official said Wednesday. David Helvey, an Asia expert at the Pentagon, declined to give details about the arms sales because he was not sure how much he could reveal during public testimony at the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. "Its activities in Latin America are increasing slowly over time. They start from a very low base but they have been progressively growing in recent years," Helvey told the panel.

"I think most of their activities in Latin America (are) motivated primarily by commercial and economic interests, where they are seeking to expand access to trade for resources and secure access to markets" for their manufactured goods," he said. "We have (also) seen some arms sales, very limited arms sales ...to Venezuela," Helvey said. When pressed for specifics, he said he would have to follow up with a written answer as he did not know what was appropriate for public discussion. "It has been very limited and we continue to watch that very carefully," Helvey said.

He said the United States wanted to ensure that "China's activities in Latin America or elsewhere be done in an open and transparent way, in a way that supports good governance, rule of law, human rights and is not disruptive to regional security dynamics." The panel was set up in 2000 to monitor, investigate and submit to Congress an annual report on the national security implications of the US-Chinese trade and economic relationship. It can make recommendations to Congress for legislative and administrative action.

China And Pakistan Conducted A Joint-Air Exercise Shaheen-1

China and Pakistan have conducted a joint-air exercise called Shaheen-1, which saw the first ever deployment of a Chinese air forcecontingent to Pakistan.

"A contingent of Chinese PLA air force comprising combat aircraft, pilots and technicians arrived at an operational base of the Pakistan air force," the latter service says. "The exercise has been designed to share mutual experiences, hone professional skills, and accrue maximum benefits from the expertise of the two air forces."

Pakistan has not disclosed details about the types of aircraft involved, the missions performed, the location of the exercise, or the total number of personnel involved. The only official image shows 24 officers, 12 Pakistani and 12 Chinese.

The exercise took place over two weeks in March.China and Pakistan have a long history of defence collaboration. Most recently the two countries co-developed the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter. The Pakistan air force also had a prominent presence at 2010's Air show China in Zhuhai, with a large chalet and several aircraft on display.

At the November show Zeng Wen, vice-president of the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation,

Iran confirms making nuclear centrifuge parts

Iran on Saturday confirmed it was producing components to make centrifuges -- the device which enriches uranium -- at a factory which it said was not secret as claimed by an opposition group.

"The factory mentioned by Monafeghin (hypocrites) is not a new discovery," state news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying, and referring to the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, the main armed opposition group fighting the Iranian regime.

"We manufacture components (in the factory), but it is in no way a secret," Salehi said when asked about PMOI's claim that Iran produces components for centrifuges used to enrich uranium.

On Thursday, PMOI spokesman in Washington Alireza Jafarzadeh claimed the Taba company site, west of Tehran, has been operating for four and a half years, citing information gathered by the group.

Taba, which in Persian stands for Iranian Cutting Tools Factory, produces "aluminium casing, magnets, molecular pumps, composite tubes, centrifuge bases," the spokesman said.

Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIB Development Program Launched

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced the award of three contracts to support concept definition and program planning for the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIB program. The selected companies will work with MDA to define and assess viable and affordable missile configurations, conduct trade studies and develop an executable development plan. The contracts were procured through competition announced on the Federal Bussiness Opportunities website. Four proposals were received.

In September 2009, the President announced a Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) to developing and deploying missile defenses. The SM-3 Block IIB is key for the United States to advance missile defense with greater cost-effectiveness in Phase Four of the PAA by providing a highly-deployable interceptor missile that will destroy threat missiles early in their flight. This early intercept capability greatly reduces the burden on the current missile defense architecture which destroys threat missiles later in their flight.

Phase Four will be complete by 2020, and will provide an early intercept capability against medium, intermediate, and Intercontinental ballistic missiles. In concert with the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) capability now deployed in Alaska and California for homeland defense, the Phase Four PAA architecture with the high-velocity, land-based SM-3 Block IIB interceptor missile and enhanced command and control and sensor network will provide an effective defensive capability for both regional and homeland defense by allowing multiple interceptors opportunities to destroy threat missiles of all ranges in the region from which they were launched.

Russia Smashes Weapon Export Records

Military officials reported on Thursday that Russian armament industries exported more than US$10 billion dollars of weapons last year, surpassing original estimates.

"We set a new record," Mikhail Dmitriyev, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Co-operation (FSVTS) told Kommersant in an interview. "The target level was set at $9.5 billion. We exceeded $10 billion, so our target level has been surpassed. We have another good report for the Russian president."

The head of FSVTS added that 2010 was the first year when "the planned task was fulfilled without excessive effort."

Meanwhile, the order portfolio of the Russian defense industry increased substantially to $48 billion, he said, while mentioning the main Russian state armament exporter, Rosoboronexport.

"Certainly, Rosoboronexport is an indisputable and legitimate arms-exporting leader, but other companies which involve military-technical co-operation [suppliers of spare parts and maintenance, for example] posted...steady 15 per cent from overall trade turnover in military-technical co-operation," Dmitriyev noted.

Asked if Russia's defense industry is qualified to meet the growing needs of foreign customers, he responded positively, while admitting to some present limitations.

SLAMRAAM Intercepts Targets In Two Test Firings

Raytheon's SLAMRAAM (Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) system successfully destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle target and intercepted a cruise missile target at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

The limited user test-firing data will be used to validate key system capabilities and potential enhancements in addition to providing operational assessment.

"Successful completion of this test firing demonstrates the maturity of the design and its operational capability when in the hands of soldiers," said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.

"SLAMRAAM is the most cost-effective system in development to combat the increasing unmanned aerial vehicle and cruise missile threat to our deployed forces, high-value fixed assets and population centers."

The primary objective of this series of tests was to demonstrate soldiers' ability to operate the system in a tactical environment.

Israeli system intercepts Gaza rocket for first time

Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defence system shot down a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the first time such an interceptor has been deployed anywhere.

The military confirmed the rocket had been brought down over the southern city of Ashkelon by the unique multi-million-dollar system, which came into operation on March 27, the first time that Iron Dome had hit a rocket in actual combat.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the system gave Israel hope that the Jewish state could now better defend it's citizens from the thousands of rockets that have been fired into Israel in recent years.

"It gives hope that over time we can develop some better defence for civilians that are targeted by regimes ... deliberately targeting the innocent," said Netanyahu, who was visiting the Czech Republic.

As the rocket came in from Gaza, the interceptor missile streaked into the sky to hit it with the two trails converging in an explosion, said the AFP correspondent.

Russia Delivers Two Combat Helicopters

Russia has delivered two Mi-35P Hind E attack helicopters to Peru under a contract to provide the South American country with air power to combat cocaine production and terrorism.

The disassembled helicopters were delivered to Peru on board a Russian An-124-100 Condor transport plane.

"The assembly of the helicopters by Russian technicians has already begun," Igor Korotchenko, the head of Russia's Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade, said on Tuesday.

"The helicopters will be tested in the air in the next few days before the official transfer to the Peruvian Air Force," he said.

The Mi-35 is an improved export version of the famed Mi-24 attack helicopter, which combines high fire power with troop transport capability.

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Peruvian Defense Ministry signed a $108-million contract on the delivery of six Mi-171 Hip H multirole helicopters and two Mi-35 helicopters in July 2010.

The delivery of the first two Mi-171s to Peru is expected in May.

The helicopters will be used in anti-drug and anti-terrorism efforts in the valley of the Apurimac and Ene rivers.

The area was declared a zone of military operations in August 2009 as fighting between government troops and the Sendero Luminoso Maoist guerilla group intensified.

Sendero Luminoso, regarded by Peru as a terrorist organization, is believed to have strong ties with drug traffickers. The group is on the U.S. and EU lists of terrorist organizations.

Boeing Supports 1st Hellfire Test Launch from Avenger System

Boeing supported the U.S. Army's first test launch of an AGM-114 Hellfire missile on Feb. 23 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The missile was fired from a modified Avenger weapon system as part of Boeing's continuing development of the Avenger-derived Adaptive Force Protection System (AFPS).

"The Avenger turret's ability to launch Hellfire missiles offers the warfighter another choice of weapon, one with significant ground firepower," said Phil Hillman, Avenger program manager for Boeing Network & Tactical Systems. "We continue to integrate and test additional capability on this system. Since Avenger is already in the Army inventory, upgrading Avengers instead of developing and fielding new systems has obvious cost advantages -- something that we believe is critically important in the current budget environment."

The test evaluated the feasibility of adding the Hellfire missile and Hydra 2.75-inch rocket capabilities to the Army's Avenger system. Boeing designed, built and installed the mechanical integration equipment to mate the Hellfire and rocket launchers to the Avenger, and supported the live firing at the test site.

Avenger was originally designed as an air defense system, but other ground defense capabilities, such as Hellfire, are being considered to expand the system’s range and versatility. The Avenger turret can be mounted on a variety of vehicles, including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or used as a stand-alone, fixed-mounted weapon station.

Boeing is the largest aerospace company in Alabama and one of the state's largest employers. Current company operations in Huntsville include the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program and other missile defense work, such as the Arrow system and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 seeker, as well as work associated with Ares I, the International Space Station, Army Integrated Logistics, Brigade Combat Team Modernization and engineering for the 787 and the P-8A Poseidon.

Britain moves Libya jets to ground attack role

 Britain said on Wednesday it was moving four Typhoon jets from policing the Libya no fly zone to ground attack roles after criticism from rebels that NATO forces were failing to protect Misrata.

"In agreement with NATO, the UK has today agreed to move four RAF Typhoons from an air defence role, policing the no-fly zone, to a ground attack role," said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement.

The move was aimed at "further bolstering NATO's ground attack capability," added the MoD.

Previously, the Typhoons, based at Gioia del Colle in southern Italy, had been policing the no-fly zone while the RAF's Tornado warplanes carried out attacks on Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's ground forces.

The move came after the top commander of Libyan rebel forces, Abdelfatah Yunis, accused NATO-led aircraft of doing nothing while loyalist forces bombarded civilians in Misrata, 214 kilometres (132 miles) east of Tripoli.

NATO "is letting the people of Misrata die every day", Yunis told reporters in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi late on Tuesday.

In response, NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero insisted that "Misrata is our number one priority."