Malaysia Developing Missile Technology
December 3, 2006 :: BBC Worldwide Monitoring :: News
Malaysia is developing missile technology at its Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Skudai, according to a report from the New Straits Times. According to Dr. Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali, vice chancellor of UTM, the “mini missile project” began several months ago and is headed by an associate professor at the university. Zulkifli noted that the government-funded project has already shown “promising results.” “The missiles on solid propellants can fly and hit the targets,” he said. “This is an achievement which we hope to develop further.” He added that the project will soon enter the second stage of development, adding that the university had applied for additional funding. (Article, Link)
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Jerusalem Post: Syria and Iran Smuggling Long-Range Missiles to Hezbollah
December 3, 2006 :: Jerusalem Post :: News
Syria and Iran have smuggled “truckloads” of long-range missiles into Lebanon over the past four months, reports Yaakov Katz in The Jerusalem Post. During the Lebanon war from July to August 2006, the Israeli Defense Force destroyed most of Hezbollah’s long-range missile arsenal, including the Iranian-made Fajr and Zelzal missiles. But according to Israeli military intelligence, Hezbollah has since received weapon convoys carrying long-range missiles, as well as short-range and anti-tank missiles. Hezbollah has stored these weapons in its extensive system of underground tunnels and bunkers in southern Lebanon, despite the presence of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces south of the Litani River. According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli military intelligence believes that “sooner or later” Hezbollah will resume military operations against Israel in the form of rocket and mortar attacks. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Israel, Iran, Syria, Proliferation, Terrorism
» Missile details: Zelzal-1/2/3
Freedman on the Future of British Deterrence
December 1, 2006 :: Financial Times :: Analysis
Nuclear deterrence should continue to play a role in Britain’s international affairs, argues Sir Lawrence Freedman, professor of war studies and vice principal (research) at King’s College, London. “What is it about our current strategic environment that suggests that this is the time to abandon the deterrent?” Freedman asks in the Financial Times. “The obvious answer is ‘very little.’” He notes that Russia is in a “bad temper,” North Korea has demonstrated its nuclear capability, and Iran appears on the verge of acquiring its own. Despite the problem of how a full-blown British nuclear capability will deter suicidal sub-state organizations like Al-Qaeda, nuclear weapons continue to “make clear the horrific consequences of full-scale war or even a big miscalculation and so encourage states to resolve disputes without resort to armed force.” Freedman cites the case of India and Pakistan, in which the introduction of nuclear weapons into the conflict introduced a welcome element of caution. He notes, however, that some conflicts “may become so unstable that mutual deterrence will collapse and catastrophe will ensue, which is why proliferation is not to be encouraged.” Freedman, nevertheless, appears to agree with the British government’s position that “however difficult it is to imagine a plausible scenario where it would be necessary to threaten, let alone use, nuclear weapons, the future is horribly uncertain.” Nuclear weapons therefore remain “an essential insurance policy.” (Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Analysis, Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation, Terrorism
Iranian Commander Acknowledges Use of North Korean Scuds
November 30, 2006 :: Jane's Information Group :: Analysis
Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), recently acknowledged that the IRGC had procured Scud-B and Scud-C short-range ballistic missiles from North Korea during the Iran-Iraq War during the 1980s, reports David C. Isby in Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. While the supply of these missiles has been known for years, “the fact that a high-level official has drawn public attention to Iran’s missile-related relationship with North Korea may be significant.” In the past, Iran has frequently stressed that its weapon developments have been indigenous, even when this was patently not the case. “The new acknowledgement of past co-operation may reflect current indebtedness to North Korean technology in the development of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile or even weapons of mass destruction,” writes Isby (Link)
» More stories on: Proliferation, North Korea, Iran, Analysis
India and Russia Aim BrahMos at Export Market
November 30, 2006 :: Jane's Information Group :: News
India and Russia aim to export the new BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Persian Gulf, East Asian, and Latin American countries, reports the January 1, 2007, issue of Jane’s Defence Industry. According to Indian Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony, the BrahMos has drawn “considerable interest” in these countries and has “tremendous market potential.” Antony added that “the Indian and Russian governments will make a joint decision on the countries to whom the missile will be exported.”
The BrahMos, which derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moscow rivers in India and Russia, is based on the earlier Russian design for the SS-N-26 (3M55 Oniks) cruise missile. In 1998, a joint venture was set up between the Indian Defense Ministry’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia’s Mashinostroyeniye Company. The two entities formed a company now known as Brahmos Aerospace, which would develop and manufacture the BrahMos PJ-10. In September 2006, Jane’s reported that the Indian Navy had started deploying the BrahMos missile on its frontline warships, with the DRDO also working on development of a submarine-launched version that could be ready in two to three years. Jane’s also reported that the Indian Air Force will integrate the BrahMos missile onto its Su-30MKI multirole fighters by December 2007. (Link)
» More stories on: Russia, Proliferation, India, Cruise Missiles
Russia Begins Tor-M1 Deliveries to Iran
November 24, 2006 :: AFP :: News
Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defense rocket system to Iran, according to Russian news sources. Itar-Tass quotes an unnamed, high-ranking Russian military industry source as stating, “Deliveries of the Tor-M1 have begun. The first systems have already been delivered to Tehran.” The Tor-M1 is a low to medium-altitude missile fired from a tracked vehicle against airplanes, helicopters, and other airborne targets. Itar-Tass reported that the rockets are to be deployed around Iran’s nuclear sites, including the still incomplete, Russian-built atomic power station at Bushehr. Moscow has consistently defended its arms exports to Iran. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the contract for 29 Tor-M1 systems, signed in December last year, was legitimate because the rockets have a purely defensive role. The U.S., however, has pressed Russia to halt military sales to Iran, which Washington believes is building nuclear weapons. In August, the U.S. announced sanctions against several companies, including the major Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, for supplying technology to Iran that could allegedly be used to develop missile technology and weapons of mass destruction. A spokesman for Rosoboronexport contacted by the AFP would not confirm or deny the reports about the Tor-M1 delivery. (Article, Link)
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Russia Sends S-300P Systems to Belarus
November 10, 2006 :: AFP :: News
The AFP reports that Russia has sent four S-300P (SA-10 Grumble) air/missile defense systems to Belarus, said to be in retaliation for the recent delivery of U.S.-made F-16 fighters to Poland. According to an unnamed source in the Moscow-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the four S-300 systems “have already been put into service” in Belarus. The S-300P is capable of tracking and destroying ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and low-flying aircraft. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Former Soviet Republics, Proliferation, Russia
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
China Purchases Sixteen S-300PMU2 Batteries from Russia
October 9, 2006 :: Interfax :: News
China has purchased sixteen S-300PMU2 batteries from Russia, reports Interfax. The S-300PMU2 air/missile defense missile system has a range of 200 km and is capable of tracking and destroying ballistic missiles. Interfax quotes Vladislav Menshikov, director-general of the Almaz-Antey air defense consortium, the maker of the S-300PMU2, as saying, “We are fulfilling a contract to deliver eight batteries of S-300PMU2 Favorit missile systems to China, after which we’ll switch to another contract of the same size that came into force recently.” (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Russia, Proliferation, China
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
China Offers YJ-62/C-602 Anti-Ship Cruise Missile for Export
September 27, 2006 :: Jane's Information Group :: News
China is offering its YJ-62 anti-ship cruise missile on the international market under the export designation C-602, reports the October 4 issue of Jane’s Defence Weekly. The new missile was displayed from September 20 to 24 at the African Aerospace and Defence exhibition at Ysterplaat Air Base in Cape Town, South Africa. It marked the first time that the C-602 has been formally shown abroad and offered for sale, according to officials from the China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIEC). The YJ-62/C-602 is a short-range, sea-skimming, anti-ship missile that can be launched from land or sea. Each missile carries a 300 kg armor-piercing high-explosive warhead. A standard coastal battery consists of four launch vehicles, each holding three missiles, plus command and support vehicles. When deployed at sea, the YJ-62/C-602 launchers are typically positioned in pairs. To date the system has been fitted to Type 052C (Lanzhou-class) destroyers of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, although CPMIEC notes that the YJ-62/C-602 can also be carried by frigate-sized escort vessels. (Link)
» More stories on: China, Cruise Missiles, Proliferation
U.S. Seeks to Block New Missiles for Hezbollah
September 6, 2006 :: Jane's Information Group :: News
The U.S. is helping Israel prevent Hezbollah from receiving shipments of new missiles to replace the thousands fired or destroyed in the recent 34-day conflict, reports the October 1 issue of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. The Lebanese-based terrorist organization is currently being resupplied by Iran across Syria’s mountainous western border with Lebanon into the Bekaa Valley, Hezbollah’s strategic center and the location of its main command centers and missile arsenals. Despite massive Israeli air strikes destroying virtually all the bridges and road networks in the region, Israel believes that Iranian missiles are still moving across the Syrian-Lebanese border, mostly along ancient smuggling trails. The U.S. has called for the support of regional allies such as Turkey and Iraq, and has pressured key global arms suppliers such as Russia and China to ensure that these missiles do not reach the Hezbollah. Sources indicate that at least two aircraft flying from Iran to Damascus have been challenged by aviation authorities in Iraq and Turkey, one on July 20 and another two days later. On August 17, seven transports—six Iranian and one Syrian—were forced to land at Dyarbakir, Turkey, after U.S. satellites spotted missiles, including C-802 anti-ship cruise missiles, and launchers being loaded onto them in Iran. According to Israel, however, some flights carrying weapons for Hezbollah have made it to Syria, and have possibly crossed the border into Lebanon. (Link)
» More stories on: Iran, Israel, Proliferation, Syria
