Kazakhstan, Russia sign deal on setting up joint regional air defense system

Source :  Interfax News Wire

Astana, January 30 (Interfax) – Kazakhstan and Russia concluded an agreement on setting up a joint regional air defense system on Wednesday.

The document was signed during a meeting between Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is paying an official visit to Astana.

The enactment of the document will “provide a foundation for security of Kazakhstan’s airspace and Russia’s territory adjacent to the border,” the Kazakh Defense Ministry said.

“We signed an agreement on setting up a joint air defense system today. This agreement is very important, and it has been prepared for about six years,” Shoigu said.

“This air defense agreement contains new components, including regarding missile defense,” he added.

Joint armed forces of Turkic-speaking countries created

Source :  Trend.Az

The joint armed forces of Turkic-speaking countries were created with the participation of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, law enforcement bodies told Trend today.

According to the information, the joint armed forces were called on the capital letters of the countries' names - TAKM.

A symbol of the Armed Forces, which depicts a horse, was presented to the Turkish Gendarmerie Commander, Gen. Bekir Kalyoncu by Commander of Azerbaijani Internal Troops Zakir Hasanov, the information said.

The founding conference of the Eurasia Military Law Enforcement Bodies Association was held on Jan. 23. The representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia attended the conference.

Azerbaijani Deputy Interior Minister, Commander of Internal Troops, Lieutenant-General Zakir Hasanov, Turkish Gendarmerie Commander, Gen. Bekir Kalyoncu and Commander of Kyrgyz Internal Troops, Colonel Sovetbek Arbaev and a delegation of the Mongolian appropriate bodies attended the conference.

US fighter jet missing on training mission

Source :  Times Republican

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Italian aircraft on Monday searched the Adriatic Sea after losing contact with a U.S. fighter jet believed to have crashed during a training mission off the coast of Italy.

The headquarters of the 31st Fighter Wing, at Aviano Air Base in Italy, said in a statement that the F-16 fighter had one pilot aboard when contact was lost Monday evening.

There was no early word on the fate of the plane or the pilot.

"The search for and rescue of our pilot is our top priority," said Col. David W. Walker, 31st operations group commander at Aviano. "We want to assure the family and friends of the lost airman that we are doing everything we can for this effort."

Initial word was that the F-16, which had taken off from Aviano, was not carrying weapons.

Italian aircraft and boats were helping in the search. The paramilitary Carabinieri force deployed helicopters, the Italian coast guard had motorboats in the area and Italian air force helicopters were also involved.

The search was focused on waters off a roughly a 9.5-mile stretch of coast between Cervia and Cesenatico in the northwestern end of the Adriatic.

Italian news agency LaPresse said the F-16 had sent an alarm signal to Aviano before it disappeared, and that three other F-16s that were flying in the same training mission made it safely back to Aviano base.

Weather conditions were difficult.

"The visibility is already poor because it is night, but there is also sleet" in the area hampering visibility, said Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro. The coast guard asked three commercial cargo ships in the area to help out. The area of sea where the search was being concentrated was approximately 10 miles off the coast, Nicastro said.

An Italian coast guard plane was also involved in the search mission, along with its rescue boats.

Minister: Turkey to continue to develop military power

Source : Trend.Az

Turkey will continue to develop its military power, Anadolu Agency quotes Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz as saying on Monday.

According to Yilmaz, the Turkish military engineers are now working on the development of domestic fighters.

In recent years, the country has strongly increasing production of domestic weapons and military equipment.

Earlier, Turkey announced about creating domestic tank "Altay" and UAV ANKA.

India successfully testfires its first nuclear capable underwater ballistic missile

Source : Xinhua

NEW DELHI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- India Sunday successfully testfired its first nuclear capable, underwater ballistic missile off the coast of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, a top defense official has said.

The missile K-5 (code named B05) was testfired off the Visakhapatnam coast for its full range of 700 km and the mission met all its objectives, scientific advisor to India Defence Minister, V.K. Saraswat, was quoted by the local media as saying.

With the testfiring, the missile completed its developmental trials. Soon, the process of integrating K-15 missile with INS Arihant, the indigenously built nuclear submarine, will begin.

India is the fifth country to have such a missile, after the U. S., Russia, France and China.

Bangladesh commissions first indigenous warship

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

Bangladesh on Thursday launched its first domestically made warship with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saying the country will also acquire submarines to emerge as a “deterrent force” in the resource-rich Bay of Bengal.

“Inshallah (God willing) we will be able to build a modern tri-dimensional naval force for the future generation, which will be able to face challenges in its own maritime zone during any war or aggression,” she told the commissioning ceremony of BNS Padma at the southwestern port city of Khulna, pti reported.

“The Bay of Bengal is appearing as an area of enhanced economic and military activities (and) I am hopeful that we would be able to make special contribution to global maritime security,” she said.

Hasina did not elaborate how many submarines the country would procure and from where but reports said negotiations were underway with China on the issue.

Hasina said the amicable settlement of the sea dispute with Myanmar has ensured the country’s sovereignty over its maritime area.

She said the defence modernisation and arms acquisition were needed to ensure security of territorial waters. Dhaka recently invited bidding from international oil companies to drill for new gas and oil reserves.

Her comments also came days after Bangladesh signed a USD 1 billion deal with Russia for the purchase of training fighters, helicopters and anti-tank missiles.

The BNS Padma is 50 metre long and 7.5 metre wide warship armed with four 37 millimetre and two 20mm cannons to resist land and air attacks.

At the event, Hasina also said a Bangladeshi Navy frigate and a large patrol boat have joined the UN Mission in Lebanon for the first time under the auspices of the present government as part of establishing peace in the international arena.

Japan Mulls Military Equipment Near Disputed Isles

Source :  defensenews.com

TOKYO — Japan may station military equipment on islands near an archipelago at the center of a dispute with China, officials said Jan. 16, after a number of airborne near-confrontations.

The defense ministry will ask for money in the next fiscal year to study the idea of putting mobile radars and communication systems on islands near the Japan-controlled Senkakus, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus, a defense spokesman said.

“The study is part of our plan to operate in southwestern islands with flexibility,” the spokesman said.

The comment came after reports said Japan is considering permanently stationing F-15 fighter jets on Shimoji, a small island near the Senkakus.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera denied that and said Jan. 15: “We are studying various options as to how to build a sound security system in our southwestern waters.”

The maritime dispute, which has simmered for years, heated up last year when the Japanese government nationalized some of the islands, triggering anger and demonstrations in China. Observers said the protests had some backing from communist authorities in Beijing, who use nationalism to bolster their claims to legitimacy.

Tokyo’s defense ministry has said F-15s were sent airborne to head off Chinese state-owned — but not military — planes four times in December, including one occasion when Japanese airspace was breached. They were also mobilized in January, it said.

On the occasion when Japan says its airspace was breached, the air force did not detect the Chinese aircraft, which had already moved off by the time fighter jets were scrambled.

Sweden's Liberals want anti-aircraft missiles on Gotland

Source : Eye on the Arctic

The annual Society and Defence conference in Sälen in northern Sweden, the Liberal Party has called for the placement of anti-aircraft missiles on the Baltic island of Gotland. The party’s defence spokesperson, MP Allan Widman, says this would strengthen Baltic defences, perhaps an indirect reference to Russia. He was supported by some other members of the center-right coalition government, although Defence Minister Karin Enström of the conservative Moderate Party declined to comment. According to Swedish Radio News, she has serious doubts about the range of missiles placed on Gotland. Meanwhile, the opposition Social Democrats want parliament to declare decisions regarding new warplanes and submarines to be of special national interest. That would exempt them from the EU’s procurement rules. Peter Hultqvist, who chairs parliament’s defence committee, says this would send a message to the domestic arms industry that it can maintain its longterm competence and technology.

Japan, US in Joint Air Exercises

Source : http://www.almanar.com

US and Japanese fighter jets on Tuesday carried out joint air exercises, an official said, days after Chinese and Japanese military planes shadowed each other near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The five-day exercise, off the southwest of the archipelago, involves six US FA-18 fighters and around 90 American personnel, along with four Japanese F-4 jets and an unspecified number of people, the official said.

The drill is being carried out over Pacific waters off the coast of Shikoku, the fourth largest of Japan's islands. It comes weeks after hawkish new premier Shinzo Abe won an election landslide following campaign promises to re-invigorate Tokyo's security alliance with Washington and take a more robust line against Beijing. It also comes as a stand-off between China and Japan over the sovereignty of the disputed East China Sea islands shows no signs of letting up.

There was no outward indication that the joint Japan-US exercise, which began Monday and runs until Friday, was aimed at China, and the area being used was a long way from any contentious zone.

The official told AFP the drill had previously been staged from Iwakuni in the far west of Honshu, but had been moved to Miyazaki in the south of Kyushu out of consideration for people living near the base.

Turkey postpones purchase of F-35 fighters

Source :  Xinhua

NKARA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) said Friday it has delayed the purchase of two F-35 jet fighters from the United States.

The SSM announced in a statement that the planned purchase has been postponed due to the unexpected technical capabilities of the aircraft and the ascending cost.

Turkish government made the decision to buy F-35 fighters on Jan. 5, 2012. It also initially plans to purchase 100 units of the fighter to renew its current fleet.

Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on its involvement in the production process of the new generation of the U.S.-made F- 35 warplanes in 2007. The other participants are Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Norway and Denmark.

Turkey's decision to postpone the order came at a time when numerous other countries, including Denmark and the Netherlands, had suspended their orders.

EURASIA - Russia to hold massive drill in Black, Mediterranean seas

Source : www.hurriyetdailynews.com

Russia is set to begin one of the largest military exercises in several years with participation from the country’s Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets, according to Ria Novosti.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the drill, which will be conducted in the Black and Mediterranean seas, will be the largest of its type in “the past few decades."

The exercises are expected to improve control and ensure multiservice force interaction while allowing forces to practice such cooperation in maritime zones, the ministry said.

Russia Commissions First Borey Class Nuclear Submarine

RIA Novosti

EVERODVINSK, January 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s first Borey class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, was officially commissioned into the Russian Navy on Thursday.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attended the flag hoisting ceremony at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk in northern Russia.

The signing of the acceptance act by the Defense Ministry took place on December 29.

The Borey class submarines are expected to form the core of Russia's strategic submarine fleet, replacing the aging Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats. Russia is planning to build eight Borey and Borey-A class subs by 2020.

A Borey class strategic submarine is 580 feet (170 meters) long, has a hull diameter of 42 feet (13 meters), and a crew of 107, including 55 officers, a maximum depth of about 1,500 feet (450 meters) and a submerged speed of about 29 knots.

All the Borey class strategic submarines carry up to 16 Bulava ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.

Russian Navy to Get 80 Support Ships by 2016

Source : Vesti Kavkaza

The Russian Navy will receive about 80 support ships within the next three years, the Defense Ministry says on Sunday. The Navy High Command said different types and classes of support and auxiliary vessels will help enhance the effectiveness of the Navy’s performance in all areas of responsibility.These will include tugboats, patrol boats, diving boats, modular search and rescue platforms, and floating cranes, the ministry reports. The ministry said on Thursday the Navy will get over 50 new warships by 2016, including strategic nuclear submarines and special operations support vessels.Russia is currently in the middle of a huge rearmament program, with $660 billion to be spent on arms procurement by 2020, according to the Defense Ministry.

Arms shipped to Yemen replicas of US weapons, no connection to Turkey: Official

Source : Trend.Az

From Turkey to Yemen were replicas of a U.S. model pistol and displayed no references or markings that indicated that they were produced in Turkey, a Turkish official has said. In November, Yemeni officials seized pistols found in biscuit boxes inside a container that had come from Turkey, according to the Yemeni Defense Ministry's website Hurriyetdailynews reported.

There were reportedly 3,000 pistols on the ship.

The ship was subject to customs control at Turkey's Mersin port and customs authorities were told that its cargo consisted of biscuits and other food items.

Turkey's Customs and Trade Ministry launched an investigation after Yemeni authorities said they had seized arms on a ship that had departed from Turkey.

Noting that Yemen was undergoing a political transition, Turkish diplomatic sources said foreign parties might have intended to harm Turkey's relations with country, which were boosted after the Turkish president's visit to Sanaa in 2011 and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's visit in 2012.

Exports from Turkey to Yemen totaled nearly $500 million last year. However, illegal arms shipments could influence bilateral trade, said Turkish officials.

Russia, Sweden to Conduct Sub Rescue Drills

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, January 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and Swedish naval forces will hold a joint submarine rescue exercise, a Baltic Fleet spokesman said on Saturday.

Later this year experts from the Baltic Fleet’s search and rescue division, in conjunction with Swedish Navy specialists, will rehearse a search and rescue operation for a submarine in distress, Capt. 2nd Rank Vladimir Matveyev said.

The exercise will be conducted under a preliminary agreement reached between Baltic Sea chief Vice Admiral Viktor Kravchuk and Swedish Navy commander Rear Admiral Jan Thörnqvist during their meeting in Kaliningrad this past October.

The exercise will involve the search for “a submarine in distress” lying on the seabed, the exploration of its hull with the use of remote controlled submersibles and the rescue of its crew.

Iran presents "Toofan 2" attack helicopters

Source : Trend.Az

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 2 /Trend S.Isayev/

Iran has presented "Toofan 2" attack helicopters today, in presence of country's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, IRNA reported.

During the presentation, Vahidi said that "Toofan 2" type helicopters are equipped with 11 various systems each, created by Iranian specialists, in accordance with world technologies.

The Defense minister said that two models of "Toofan 2" were delivered to the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

Vahidi also noted that the productions of these helicopters once again showcase the ineffectiveness of sanctions against Iran, and noted Iranian nation's progress.

In 2010, Iran unveiled the "Toofan" attack helicopters, that were delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation (IRIAA).

Iran's Navy launched the six-day naval drill on December 28, 2012, in order to display the country's capabilities in defending its maritime borders.

The specialized maritime maneuver covers an area from east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Sea of Oman to north of the Indian Ocean as far as the 18th parallel north.

Over the past few years, Iran has held several military drills to enhance the defensive capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.