Attack on PNS Mehran Base - PAF Faisal Base

Indian Foot-Prints Emerging On PNS Mehran Naval Base Attack

The Footprints of circumstantial evidence regarding the terrorist attack on the Mehran base clearly show the involvement of Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Senior intelligence sources told The News that this was a joint venture, accomplished by RAW certainly with the consent of CIA and a group of al-Qaeda who are being used by the anti-Pakistan lobby.

“Even at this very initial stage, the agencies engaged in the investigation of the attack have got hold of some concrete indications to prove the involvement of foreign hand in the debacle,” one source said. He said that it could easily be calculated who was the prime beneficiary of the shattering strike.

“The militants attacked the base and mainly targeted the P-3C Orion aircraft as they had instructions to destroy them,” he said, adding that it was on record that India had opposed the US provision of these aircraft to Pakistan.

Another source said that the only major beneficiary of the annihilation of these planes was India as Pakistan has been deprived of one of its major assets.

France, Russia to sign warship deal before Putin's visit

France and Russia should sign a contract on four Mistral class helicopter carriers for Russia before June 21, when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is to visit France, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.

"We have agreed everything with President Medvedev - the price, the timeframe, the transfer of technology, and the construction site," Sarkozy said.

"Contract negotiations are over; it only remains to decide when this contract will be signed: The deadline is June 21 because this is when Prime Minister Putin will come to Paris."

Medvedev and Sarkozy agreed earlier on Thursday that a contract will be signed within 15 days.

"We have reached a final agreement that this contract will be signed in 15 days. Two helicopter carriers will be built in France and two more in Russia," Sarkozy said after talks with Medvedev.

Russia and France in January signed an intergovernmental agreement to build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later at Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

However, contract talks stumbled over Russia's demand for the transfer of sensitive electronic systems.

India Certified First Dhruv Helicopter Simulator

The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), the joint venture owned equally by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE, today announced that its simulator cockpit for the civil/conventional variant of the Dhruv has been certified to Level D, the highest qualification for flight simulators, by India's Directorate General Civil Aviation(DGCA).

The civil/conventional Dhruv simulator cockpit has been integrated with the CAE-built full-mission simulator currently in operation at HATSOFF. The simulator features CAE's revolutionary roll-on/roll-off cockpit design, which enables cockpits representing various helicopter types to be used in the simulator. This is the world's first-ever full-mission simulator for the HAL-built Dhruv helicopter.

"We are very proud of achieving Level D certification for the world's first simulator representing the indigenously developed HAL Dhruv helicopter," said Wg Cdr (Retd) Chandra Datt Upadhyay Vr.C., Chief Executive Officer of HATSOF. "We look forward to welcoming the Indian Air Force and other civil operators of the Dhruv in offering simulation-based training that will undoubtedly prove to be a safe and cost-effective method for training Dhruv helicopter aircrews."

US cutting back troops in Pakistan: Pentagon

The US military said Wednesday it has begun pulling some American troops out of Pakistan after Islamabad requested a smaller presence, amid tensions over a US raid against Osama bin Laden.

"We were recently (within past 2 weeks) notified in writing that the government of Pakistan wished for the US to reduce its footprint in Pakistan. Accordingly, we have begun those reductions," spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said in an email to reporters.

There are more than 200 US military personnel in Pakistan serving mostly as trainers as part of a long-running effort to counter Al-Qaeda and Islamist militants.

But the uneasy relationship between Pakistan and the United states has come under severe strain following a unilateral raid by US commandos that killed bin Laden on May 2 in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, home to a military academy.

India to Boost Blue-Water Warfare Capability With Two New Stealth Frigates

The Navy continues to hone its war-fighting capabilities despite being stretched in coastal security and anti-piracy operations. The force is now on course to soon induct two more deadly stealth frigates to bolster its growing "blue-water" warfare capabilities. 

Sources say the 6,200-tonne indigenous stealth frigate INS Satpura is likely to be commissioned in June-July, while the Russian-built 4,900-tonne INS Teg should finally be ready for induction by September-October. 

These long-awaited warships will come at a time when Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has stressed that "maintenance of war-fighting abilities" remains the "top-most priority" for his force despite the "large number of peacetime commitments (anti-piracy, coastal security and the like) at hand". 

"With the security situation being fluid, we need to maintain the organizational ability to deploy warships, submarines and aircraft at immediate notice," said Admiral Verma, at the naval commanders' conference here on Tuesday. 

INS Satpura and INS Teg will certainly boost combat capabilities, packed as they are with sensors, weapons and missile systems, coupled with their stealthy nature due to "vastly-reduced" radar, infra-red, noise, frequency and magnetic "signatures" to beat enemy detection systems. 

US, Pakistan Near Open War-- Chinese Ultimatum Warns Washington Against Attack--Special Report

China has officially put the United States on notice that Washington’s planned attack on Pakistan will be interpreted as an act of aggression against Beijing. This blunt warning represents the first known strategic ultimatum received by the United States in half a century, going back to Soviet warnings during the Berlin crisis of 1958-1961, and indicates the grave danger of general war growing out of the US-Pakistan confrontation.

“Any Attack on Pakistan Would be Construed as an Attack on China”

Responding to reports that China has asked the US to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the aftermath of the Bin Laden operation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu used a May 19 press briefing to state Beijing’s categorical demand that the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan must be respected.” According to Pakistani diplomatic sources cited by the Times of India, China has “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China.” This ultimatum was reportedly delivered at the May 9 China-US strategic dialogue and economic talks in Washington, where the Chinese delegation was led by Vice Prime Minister Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Chinese warnings are implicitly backed up by that nation’s nuclear missiles, including an estimated 66 ICBMs, some capable of striking the United States, plus 118 intermediate-range missiles, 36 submarine-launched missiles, and numerous shorter-range systems. 

Support from China is seen by regional observers as critically important for Pakistan, which is otherwise caught in a pincers between the US and India: “If US and Indian pressure continues, Pakistan can say ‘China is behind us. Don’t think we are isolated, we have a potential superpower with us,’” Talat Masood, a political analyst and retired Pakistani general, told AFP.

The Chinese ultimatum came during the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani in Beijing, during which the host government announced the transfer of 50 state-of-the-art JF-17 fighter jets to Pakistan, immediately and without cost. Before his departure, Gilani had stressed the importance of the Pakistan-China alliance, proclaiming: “We are proud to have China as our best and most trusted friend. And China will always find Pakistan standing beside it at all times….When we speak of this friendship as being taller than the Himalayas and deeper than the oceans it truly captures the essence of our relationship.” These remarks were greeted by whining from US spokesmen, including Idaho Republican Senator Risch.

The simmering strategic crisis between the United States and Pakistan exploded with full force on May 1, with the unilateral and unauthorized US commando raid alleged to have killed the phantomatic Osama bin Laden in a compound at Abottabad, a flagrant violation of Pakistan’s national sovereignty. The timing of this military stunt designed to inflame tensions between the two countries had nothing to do with any alleged Global War on Terror, and everything to do with the late March visit to Pakistan of Prince Bandar, the Saudi Arabian National Security Council chief. This visit had resulted in a de facto alliance between Islamabad and Riyadh, with Pakistan promising troops to put down any US-backed color revolution in the kingdom, while extending nuclear protection to the Saudis, thus making them less vulnerable to US extortion threats to abandon the oil-rich monarchy to the tender mercies of Tehran. A joint move by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to break out of the US empire, whatever one may think of these regimes, would represent a fatal blow for the fading US empire in South Asia. 

As for the US claims concerning the supposed Bin Laden raid of May 1, they are a mass of hopeless contradictions which changes from day to day. An analysis of this story is best left to literary critics and writers of theatrical reviews. The only solid and uncontestable fact which emerges is that Pakistan is the leading US target — thus intensifying the anti-Pakistan US policy which has been in place since Obama’s infamous December 2009 West Point speech. 

Gilani: Full Force Retaliation to Defend Pakistan’s Strategic Assets

The Chinese warning to Washington came on the heels of Gilani’s statement to the Pakistan Parliament declaring: “Let no one draw any wrong conclusions. Any attack against Pakistan’s strategic assets, whether overt or covert, will find a matching response…. Pakistan reserves the right to retaliate with full force. No one should underestimate the resolve and capability of our nation and armed forces to defend our sacred homeland.” A warning of full force retaliation from a nuclear power such as Pakistan needs to be taken seriously, even by the hardened aggressors of the Obama regime. 

The strategic assets Gilani is talking about are the Pakistani nuclear forces, the key to the country’s deterrent strategy against possible aggression by India, egged on by Washington in the framework of the US-India nuclear cooperation accord. The US forces in Afghanistan have not been able to conceal their extensive planning for attempts to seize or destroy Pakistan’s nuclear bombs and warheads. According to a 2009 Fox News report, “The United States has a detailed plan for infiltrating Pakistan and securing its mobile arsenal of nuclear warheads if it appears the country is about to fall under the control of the Taliban, Al Qaeda or other Islamic extremists.” This plan was developed by General Stanley McChrystal when he headed the US Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. JSOC, the force reportedly involved in the Bin Laden operation. is composed of Army Delta Force, Navy SEALs and “a high-tech special intelligence unit known as Task Force Orange.” “Small units could seize [Pakistan’s nukes], disable them, and then centralize them in a secure location,” claimed a source quoted by Fox.

Obama Has Already Approved Sneak Attack on Pakistan’s Nukes

According to the London Sunday Express, Obama has already approved an aggressive move along these lines: “US troops will be deployed in Pakistan if the nation’s nuclear installations come under threat from terrorists out to avenge the killing of Osama Bin Laden… The plan, which would be activated without President Zardari’s consent, provoked an angry reaction from Pakistan officials… Barack Obama would order troops to parachute in to protect key nuclear missile sites. These include the air force’s central Sargodha HQ, home base for nuclear-capable F-16 combat aircraft and at least 80 ballistic missiles.” According to a US official, “The plan is green lit and the President has already shown he is willing to deploy troops in Pakistan if he feels it is important for national security.” 

Extreme tension over this issue highlights the brinksmanship and incalculable folly of Obama’s May 1 unilateral raid, which might easily have been interpreted by the Pakistanis as the long-awaited attack on their nuclear forces. According to the New York Times, Obama knew very well he was courting immediate shooting war with Pakistan, and “insisted that the assault force hunting down Osama bin Laden last week be large enough to fight its way out of Pakistan if confronted by hostile local police officers and troops.” 

South Korea to step up security against cyber attacks

South Korea said Tuesday it will step up IT security within the government to fend off cyber attacks from North Korea, which it has accused of mounting a series of strikes in recent years.

Under a presidential decree, 45 officials at 23 government agencies will be appointed to take charge of computer security and emergency planning, the home affairs ministry said.

"This measure is aimed at helping fend off cyber attacks that have been taking place continuously," a ministry official told AFP.

Earlier this month, South Korean prosecutors said North Korean military intelligence launched a cyber attack that paralyzed operations at one of the country's largest banks.

North Korea's defence ministry flatly denied the allegation as "absurd".

Seoul also accused Pyongyang of staging cyber attacks on websites of major South Korean government agencies and financial institutions in March this year and in July 2009.

Pyongyang also rejected those allegations, accusing Seoul inventing the charges to raise tensions.

The North reportedly maintains elite hacker units, prompting the south to set up a specific military command to combat them.

Chinese Media Officially Unveils J-15 Flying Shark Carrier-Based Fighter Jet

Chinese state media released on 25 April the first official close-up pictures of the J-15, which is expected to become the first carrier-based multirole fighter for the People's Army Navy (PLALiberation N).

The pictures, which showed folding wings, a shortened tailcone and strengthened landing gear, were released a day after Chinese defence web sites posted images of the aircraft outside an Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) facility in Shenyang. The images are the first showing the J-15, nicknamed the 'Flying Shark', in standard PLAN grey.

Analysts believe that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, an AVIC subsidiary, obtained a prototype of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-33 from Ukraine in 2001 and used it to design the J-15, reportedly improving the avionics and guidance systems. The J-15 is believed to have carried out its first test flight in mid-2009.

The release of images comes amid unconfirmed reports that another defence manufacturer may have test-flown China's first vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL) prototype aircraft - reportedly also based on an Su-33 - earlier in April.

UN: North Korea, Iran Share Ballistic Missile Technology

A classified United Nations report says North Korea and Iran have routinely shared ballistic missile technology in violation of U.N. sanctions, and diplomats say China has sought to block release of the report.

The document, seen by Western journalists, says the illicit technology transfers passed through a neighboring third country, which diplomats identify as China, North Korea's closest ally. Beijing has not commented on the report, which also includes accusations the technology was transferred aboard regular air flights of Air Koryo and Iran Air - North Korea’s and Iran's national airlines.

The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against North Korea after two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Iran is also under international sanctions because of its uranium enrichment activities, which the United States and its allies suspect are weapons-related. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

HAS Osama Bin Laden Killing Mission Involve A Stealth Helicopter

A newly-developed stealth helicopter design may have been used to transport the US Navy task force that killed Osama Bin Laden at the start of May 2011, it's been suggested.

Images of part of the helicopter released over the past few days show a tail rotor layout that's unlike anything known to be in service today. Only the tail section of the secretive design is reported to now be intact, after the troops that killed Osama destroyed the helicopter, too.

Many sources now support the idea that the helicopter could have been a modified Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter, with stealth-type upgrades.

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a widely-used helicopter design, produced in many different versions to suit the needs of various operators.

Navy Conducts Maintenance and Modernization Performance Review

Commander,Navy Regional Maintenance Center (CNRMC) and the Executive Director of Surface Warfare for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA-SEA 21B) participated in the Navy's inaugural maintenance and modernization performance review (MMPR) in San Diego, April 26-27.

Capt. David Gale, commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center; and Bilyana Anderson, executive director, NAVSEA-SEA 21B; spoke to more than one hundred military, civilian and contract personnel who are involved in all facets of surface ship maintenance and modernization.

"The failure point for us is anyone here today who doesn't see they are a part of this important effort," said Gale. "Whether you are a member of ship's force, a commanding officer of a ship or regional maintenance center (RMC), a type commander representative,contractor, or port engineer; we all play a critical role in getting maintenance right."

Gale and Anderson encouraged all MMPR participants to engage in frank and open discussions during the event in an effort to better identify performance gaps that were discernible during maintenance availabilities and to, in turn, provide solutions for RMCs' and ships' respective challenges.

"As the end-to-end process that is surface ship maintenance and modernization continues to evolve, we need to standardize and align our practices," said Gale. "From the way we train our workforce to the way we identify maintenance work, we need to work together to support ships and sustain their service lives."

Program managers and port engineers from each of the RMCs were among those who briefed detailed data on their recent maintenance availabilities.

Among the multitude of topics discussed during the course of the MMPR were the successes and challenges of various ships' maintenance availabilities, the surface ship maintenance initiative, total ship readiness assessments, multi-ship/multi-option contracts, and NRMC's development of a standardized workforce development program.

China urges world to back Pakistan in terror fight

China reaffirmed its support on Thursday for efforts by its ally Pakistan to combat terrorism after the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama  bin laden by US forces, and urged the world to help Islamabad.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stopped short of directly criticising the daring raid by US special forces on Pakistani soil that ended with bin Laden's death but said national sovereignty "should be respected" at all times.

"Pakistan is at the forefront of the international counter-terrorism effort. The international community should understand and support Pakistan," Jiang told a press conference.

"We support Pakistan's position and understand and support Pakistan formulating and implementing a counter-terrorism strategy based on its national conditions."

Since Sunday's raid, Pakistan has been on the defensive over its failure to find bin Laden, who was living in a compound near the country's top mililtary academy in Abbottabad.

Pakistan tests nuclear-capable cruise missile CCTV News