DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Rolls Out Advanced Drone, Missiles To ‘Confront American Threat'
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sourcesRT (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 26, 2012: Tehran has reportedly unveiled an advanced drone and tested an anti-aircraft missile system as the Islamic Republic proves it has the military might to fend off any threat amidst, including advanced US fighters.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) showcased its new unmanned aerial vehicle, the Shahed 129, on Monday.
Tehran claims the domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is capable of carrying out combat and reconnaissance missions with its 24-hour nonstop flight capability, state-owned Press TV reports.
They also say the drone can hit targets at up to 2,000 kilometers away and can be equipped with electronic and communication systems which can transmit live feeds. The military says the Shaded 129 drone will aid Iran’s surveillance capabilities in border areas, the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman.
The IRGC also successfully test-fired the country’s latest anti-aircraft missile system.
The Ra'ad mid-range missile system is equipped with Taer 2 missiles and can reportedly intercept targets at a range of 50 kilometers and fly at an altitude of almost 23 kilometers.
Tehran claims the domestically manufactured missiles are "more advanced" than the Russian-made Buk family of missiles, Fars news agency reports.
Fars also reports that at Sunday’s naval drill, four missiles hit a warship-sized target, sinking it in 50 seconds.
"We have missile systems that cover all the Persian Gulf coasts and the American bases (in the region)," Admiral Ali Fadavi, commander of the Guards' navy, told Fars.
Iranian bomber drone Karrar (file photo)
The admiral also added that within half a year "big naval maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz," will take place.
"This system has been built with the aim of confronting American warplanes," Iranian Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' aerospace division, declared late last week.
Analysts regularly challenge some of Iran's military assertions, however, saying the Islamic republic tends to exaggerate its military capabilities.
The demonstration coincided with US-led naval exercises in the gulf amid rising anxiety over Iran’s refusal to abandon its controversial nuclear program, which the country says is for peaceful means only.
Israel, which perceives the program as Tehran’s drive to obtain intercontinental ballistic missiles, has continually threatened a pre-emptive strike.
Washington has opposed unilateral Israeli action, fearing it will trigger a regional conflict. The US has beefed up its naval and air personnel in the region, however.
The move is seen as threatening by the Islamic Republic. “Iran will not start any war but it could launch a preemptive attack if it was sure that the enemies are putting the final touches to attack it,” Hajizadeh has warned adversaries.
Hajizadeh also declared that an Israel-Iran war would be disastrous "and will turn into World War III as other countries become embroiled in the conflict
Iranian officials say they aren't scared of Israel’s threats of a military assault aimed at their rumored nuclear warhead program, but a senior officer in Iran's Revolutionary Guard says such a strike would warrant retaliation against US bases.
Iran has constructed nearly a third of the missile defense system it is developing in lieu of the S-300 system Moscow refused to sell it. The Islamic Republic hopes the system will be completed by next year, a senior military official said.
Iran has successfully test-fired an upgraded version of its Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missile. The new missile is “meant for defense,” but is capable of destroying both land and sea targets with the same “pinpoint precision.”
An Iranian military official has warned that military conflict between Iran and Israel could “turn into World War III.” He added that if Israel “is putting the final touches on attacking Iran,” a preemptive strike against Tel Aviv would ensue.
The US Navy is leading its largest-ever war games in the Persian Gulf, with warships from 25 countries being deployed in the region. Tehran, in return, is preparing for its biggest air defense war game in the history of Islamic Republic next month.
DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT ON SENKAKU ISLANDS: Is The Senkaku Island Dispute All Just A Huge Conspiracy?
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources ByJohn (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 25, 2012: The Senkaku Island dispute has been blowing up again lately and the media is all ablaze with anti-Japanese protests in China. Japanese businesses are being vandalized, Japanese cars destroyed, and all sorts of crazy nonsense has been going down over there lately. So why are the Senkaku Islands so important to these countries and who do theyreallybelong to?
Luckily for you, I’ve done extensive research, cracked the case, and can say with utmost certainty who has the rights to lay claim to the islands.
THE SENKAKU ISLANDS AND HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Before this whole deal made its way into the media, I didn’t really know much about the Senkaku Island debate, let alone where these islands were. The Senkaku Islands, or Diaoyu as they are known in China, are a group of five uninhabited islands and three barren rocks located in the East China Sea between Japan, Taiwan, and China, with all three countries laying claim to them.
Following the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government formally annexed what was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom as Okinawa Prefecture in 1879. The Senkaku Islands, which lay between the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Chinese Qing Empire, became the boundary between the two nations.
In 1885, Japan considered taking formal control of the Senkaku Islands. However, the islands had been given Chinese names, Chinese newspapers were claiming that Japan was occupying islands off of China’s coast, and Japan just didn’t really want to make the Qing Empire suspicious of anything by annexing the islands. As such, the request to initiate formal control over the islands was rejected.
In 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan decided to incorporate the islands under the administration of Okinawa, stating that it had been conducting surveys there since 1884 and that the islands effectively didn’t belong to anyone, with there being no evidence to suggest that they had ever been under the Qing Empire’s control.
After China lost the Sino-Japanese War, both countries signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki which stated that China would surrender the island of Taiwan together with all islands appertaining or belonging to said island of Taiwan.
The tricky part here is that there was no agreement as to who had control over the Senkaku Islands prior to this, so it is debatable as to whether or not the Senkaku Islands were actually included as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. This detail is important because the treaty was rendered moot when Japan lost World War II in 1945. The Treaty of San Francisco nullified prior treaties concerning the area.
Like I said, there is a disagreement between the Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese governments as to whether or not the islands are implied to be part of the “islands appertaining or belonging to said island of Taiwan” in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. China and Taiwan both dispute the Japanese claim to the island by citing Japan’s abovementioned reasons to turn down the request to incorporate the islands in 1885. Both China and Taiwan assert sovereignty over the islands.
THE COVERUP
Unfortunately for Japan and China, the abovementioned history means absolutely nothing. Through my extensively painstaking research on the topic, I uncovered the greatest government conspiracy coverup fiasco known to man. Neither Japan, China, or Taiwan have the right to claim the Senkaku Islands as their own.
I discovered that shortly after Lithuania’s personal union with Poland in 1386, a brave and handsome Lithuanian man set out on a sailing expedition from the port city of Klaipėda in search of fame and fortune. Tragically, the ships did not return for they had become irreparably damaged and moored on a rocky, uninhabited archipelago in a strange and distant sea.
The captain of the ship detailed the landscape and surroundings in his journal as he slowly passed away from starvation. He wrote of his dreams and aspirations, his love for his country, and claimed the archipelago in the name of his family.
This man was my ancestor. I traced back the lineage and I found that I am the true heir to the Senkaku Islands. Both the Chinese and Japanese governments know this and they’ve tried to hide the fact that the islands belong to me and my family with their made up histories and elaborate fairy tales. I profess that I am the only one who may rightfully lay claim to these lands. I declare myself high king of the Senkaku Islands.
But just for fun, let’s explore why China and Japan think that they have the right to claim the area and not me.
THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
The Senkaku Islands are currently administered by Japan, but Taiwan and China both lay claim to them as well. The United States occupied the islands after World War II from 1945 to 1972 and even though they do not have an official position on the validity of the competing sovereignty claims, the islands are included within the U.S. Japan Security Treaty. This means that if Japan needed to defend the islands, it would be likely to compel action by the United States military.
Both China and Japan indicated their sovereignty claims with respect to the islands to the United Nations Security Council at the time of the US transfer of its administrative powers to Japan after its occupation in 1972. Sovereignty over the islands would give Japan exclusive oil, mineral, and fishing rights in surrounding waters.
Basically what happened was that the US handed the islands over to Japan, and China wasn’t too happy about it because they believed it should be placed in their hands, not Japan’s.
CHINA’S CLAIM TO THE ISLANDS
It seems that China really didn’t put up too much of a fuss about these islands until after it was discovered that there might be oil reserves under the sea surrounding the islands. The study was conducted in 1968, and the Chinese started getting really adamant over their claims to the region shortly thereafter, especially with the US choice to hand control of the region over to Japan. From the Chinese perspective, this is what it looks like for the Senkaku Islands.
1. China claims the discovery of the islands for themselves, citing early recordings of such in old maps and travelogues.
2. The islands were China’s frontier off-shore defense against wakou (Japanese pirates) during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and an old Chinese map of Asia as well as a map compiled by a Japanese cartographer in the 18th century show the islands as being a part of China.
3. As mentioned above, Japan took control of the islands during the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 by means of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. But a letter from the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1885 warning against annexing the islands due to anxiety about China’s response, shows, in China’s opinion, that Japan knew the islands were not actually “up for grabs.”
4. The Potsdam Declaration stated that “Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and such minor islands as we determine,” with “we” being the victors of the Second World War, including the Republic of China. Japan accepted the terms of the Declaration when it surrendered and China sees this as a reason for stating they have rights to the islands in question.
5. Both China and Taiwan never endorsed the US transfer of the islands to Japan in 1970s.
JAPAN’S CLAIM TO THE ISLANDS
The Japanese stance on the issue is that there isn’t even an issue at all. Japan believes that there is no territorial issue that needs to be resolved over the Senkaku Islands whatsoever. In a counter to the abovementioned Chinese points, Japan has stated the following.
1. According to Japan, the islands have been uninhabited and have showed no trace of being under Chinese control prior to 1895.
2. The islands were neither part of Taiwan nor part of the Pescadores Islands, which were ceded to Japan by the Qing Dynasty in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Therefore, the Japanese believe their claim to the islands was not affected by the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
3. Though the islands were controlled by the United States as an occupying power between 1945 and 1972, Japan was given and has exercised administration over the islands ever since.
4. Taiwan and China only started claiming ownership of the islands in 1971, following a May 1969 United Nations report that a large oil and gas reserve may exist under the seabed near the islands.
So, as one can see – they are simply bickering over lands that they have no legitimate stake in. Those islands are mine and I’m considering submitting a formal complaint of sorts, but I fear that without widespread worldwide support, I will fall victim to the same fate as many Japanese businesses and establishments in China as I’m sure the validity of my claim will be questioned.
THE ANTI-JAPANESE DEMONSTRATIONS
Over the years there have been plenty of demonstrations concerning the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands. Lately, there’s been a resurgence of them in China, mostly due to Shintaro Ishihara’s decision to let Tokyo Municipality purchase three of the Senkaku islands from their current Japanese owners (the Kurihara family), placing them under state control. The Chinese government angrily protested, stating, “No one will ever be permitted to buy and sell China’s sacred territory.”
On August 15th, activists from Hong Kong sailed to and landed on one of the disputed islands, but were stopped by the Japan Coast Guard. The activists and their ship were detained by Japanese authorities and were deported two days later.
China wasn’t happy about this either.
In Beijing, citizens of began protesting in front of the Japanese embassy and protestors called for the return of the Diaoyu Islands and for Japan to confess her crimes. Chinese protestors marched down the streets chanting slogans such as “Defend the Diaoyu Islands” and “Smash Japanese Imperialism.” They called for the boycott of Japanese goods and for the government to retake the islands. Japanese flags were defaced, Japanese cars were smashed, and shops selling Japanese goods were vandalized.
According to Sing Tao Daily, the Chinese government sent in large numbers of armed police, who called for an end to the violent protests, drove the protesters away, and detained a handful of them.
The riots are also being condemned by a great amount of Chinese citizens and many are hoping for a soon to be realized peaceful solution as can be seen from posts on Sina Weibo (a Chinese microblogging website akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, used by well over 30% of Internet users in China with more than 300 million registered users).
When I first saw the horrific scenes, I was so ashamed of my own race, seeming so barbaric and outrageous through the lens, that at one point, I felt that such a lawless nation will never have any hope of becoming a peace-loving superpower that is deserving of respect, and that there is no point of staying in a country that can come to Armageddon so easily.
But after reading posts that have flooded Sina Weibo, most of which vehemently condemned such violence, I realize that while the rabble and the crimes they’ve committed in the name of love for China have irreversibly smeared the image of Chinese people, there are much more people who have utter contempt for them.
Currently, the official stance of the involved parties is as follows: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urging people to express thoughts “rationally and within the law,” Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda wants China to prevent anti-Japan violence, Taiwan is annoyed but being ignored by pretty much everyone, and the United States just wants everybody to calm down.
As one can see, there’s a lot of stuff going on and the people and the governments are trying to figure out the best way to proceed with everything. Normally, I wouldn’t take a stance on these sorts of situations as they’re usually not entirely black and white cases, but these islands are obviously mine to claim. This I know for sure. Another thing I know for sure is that it’s a bad time to be the owner of Japanese goods in China with all the riots going on. Yikes.
ACTUALLY, THIS HAPPENS A LOT
Unfortunately, territorial disputes are a pretty common thing between Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries. Koichi actually wrote about this a while ago in his post about all the current land disputes Japan is involved in.
Just recently at the London Olympic games a South Korean player got in big trouble for displaying a sign with a slogan supporting South Korean sovereignty over disputed islets that are claimed by both South Korea and Japan (called Dokdo in South Korean and Takeshima in Japan). There’s a small chance that these islets belong to my family as well, but I won’t get into that here.
And then of course there’s the whole China/Taiwan deal along with a slew of countless other issues plaguing the region. It would seem that territorial disputes are more rampant in the Asia Pacific are than any other, a full list of which can be found here. I’m sure there will always be plenty of disputes regarding the lands in the area, especially when they’re uninhabited islands such as the Senkaku. My only hope is that the issues can be resolved peacefully.
I’m not even going to get into all the other supposed stakes my family has in distant lands that are currently up for dispute, but here’s where you come in. I need you to help rally support for the cause and get the Senkaku Islands back into their rightful hands. Mine.
So tell me, what are your thoughts on the whole Senkaku Island dispute? Any important details I forgot to touch on? Who do you think has the most valid claim to the islands – Japan, China, Taiwan, or yours truly? What do you think should be done to resolve the issue at hand? Let us know in the comments!
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sourcesOshkosh Defense (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 24, 2012:Expanding its portfolio of light military vehicles, Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), is unveiling its new Special Purpose All-Terrain Vehicle (S-ATV) designed for unconventional and reconnaissance missions at Modern Day Marine 2012, Sept. 25-27 in Quantico, Va. Oshkosh will also have its Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV), which was selected for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase, at the show.
"We have developed a broad range of high-performance light vehicles to offer Warfighters next-generation capabilities for future battlefields," said John Bryant, vice president and general manager of Joint and Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense. "Our L-ATV and S-ATV platforms, coupled with an array of Oshkosh-developed HMMWV upgrade solutions, demonstrate exciting innovations. The off-road mobility, crew protection and reliability that are hallmarks of our heavy, medium and MRAP platforms have been leveraged in different ways across these light vehicles to meet a range of operational needs."
Oshkosh specifically designed the S-ATV based on emerging worldwide requirements for forces performing unconventional and reconnaissance missions. The S-ATV utilizes Oshkosh's battle-proven off-road technologies and expertise to nimbly travel across rugged, remote and urban terrains at high speeds. The vehicle is available in multiple weight and protection configurations.
Delivering the Oshkosh JLTV Solution Oshkosh received a contract in August to deliver 22 Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV) prototypes for the JLTV EMD phase, as well as to support government testing and evaluation of the vehicles. The joint services are expected to replace tens of thousands of HMMWVs with the JLTV.
"The Oshkosh JLTV solution was designed with a purpose – to keep Warfighters safe on future battlefields with unpredictable terrain, tactics, and threats," said John Bryant, vice president and general manager of Joint and Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense. "Oshkosh has a 90-year history of delivering high quality military vehicle programs on-time and on-budget, and our JLTV program is no exception. We understand how critical this light, protected, off-road vehicle will be to Warfighters."
The Oshkosh L-ATV offers an advanced crew protection system that has been extensively tested and is proven to optimize crew survivability. The L-ATV can accept multiple armor configurations, which allows the vehicle to adapt easily to changing operational requirements. The L-ATV also applies the Oshkosh TAK-4i™ intelligent independent-suspension system to provide significantly faster speeds when operating off-road, which can be critical to troops' safety.
Oshkosh executives will be on hand to discuss the vehicles, technologies and vehicle lifecycle management at booth #2404.
About Oshkosh Defense Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.
About Oshkosh Corporation Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, visit www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
®, TM All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.
Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Division of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) , warned on Sunday that an Israeli strike on Iran could trigger the World War III, Press TV reported.
Israel, threatening to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities these days, has always been highly concerned over Iran's nuclear program, which is believed by the West to head for acquiring nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian purposes.
Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, and warned that it will retaliate if it comes under attack.
Hajizadeh said in case of the eruption of such a war against Iran, the situation would be out of control, according to Press TV.
"This war is likely to degenerate into the World War III," Hajizadeh said, adding that it means some countries might enter the war in favor of or against Iran.
"We see the United States and the Zionist regime (of Israel) alongside one another and we can by no means imagine that the Zionist regime would initiate a war (against Iran) without the U.S. support," he was quoted as saying.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the U.S. bases in the region as part of American soil and will definitely target them if a war breaks out," he added.
On Saturday, Iran's Commander of the IRGC, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said that a war on Iran "will eventually happen," Press TV reported.
"War will happen but it is not clear where and when," Jafari said, adding that Iran is ready to confront any possible strike against the country.
The Israeli officials currently consider war as the only way to confront Iran, he claimed, insisting that if they begin a war, it will spell their destruction and will be the end of their adventure.
The Iranian commander said that the armed forces of the Islamic republic enjoy capabilities and equipment in hardware and software fields, according to the report.
Also, Hossein Salami, another IRGC commander, reiterated the remarks by Jafari on Sunday that "Iran will obliterate the Zionist regime if the latter takes any action against Iran," the official IRNA news agency reported.
Salami said Iran does not initiate war against any country but in case it is attacked by any country it will never stop its counterattack till the annihilation of the enemy.
Also on Sunday, Press TV reported that Iran's Air Force plans to hold a massive military maneuver in the southern parts of the country by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 2013).
"Maneuvers to be carried out by Iran are peaceful and indicate that Iran and regional countries are capable of safeguarding their security," Deputy Commander of Iran's Air Force, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, was quoted as saying.
Nasirzadeh said that the presence of non-regional powers in the Persian Gulf is "illegitimate" and emphasized that there is no necessity for such a presence.
Non-regional powers cannot provide regional states with security, he said, adding that the countries in the region can ensure their security if they cooperate with each other.
According to IRNA, IRGC will also hold a 15,000-man maneuver in Shahr-e-Rey district of Tehran city for two days from September 27- 28.
IRGC Commander in charge of the operations, General Nasiri told IRNA that the exercises aim to raise combat readiness of the ground forces.
Nasiri said that the troops will conduct shooting, night war, relief and rescue operations, said the report.
TEHRAN, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian navy commander said that Iran's Armed Forces fully are monitoring the naval exercises of the United States and its allies in the Persian Gulf, Press TV reported on Friday.
The United States and its allies are performing the maneuvers in the Persian Gulf under the pretext of improving security but history has proven the falsehood of their claims, Second Rear Admiral Hossein Azad was quoted as saying. Full story
TEHRAN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Navy launched the overhauled super-heavy submarine and indigenous destroyer on Tuesday as the United States and its allies continued military drills in the Persian Gulf for the third day.
The super-heavy Tareq 901 submarine repaired by Iranian experts and Sahand destroyer were successfully launched in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas, Press TV reported. Full story
ISTANBUL, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- EU foreign affairs representative Catherine Ashton held talks withIran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili here on Tuesday in a bid to end the standoff over the Iranian nuclear program.
The two sides had a 40-minute close-door meeting in Istanbul's Conrad Hotel Tuesday afternoon and then moved to Iranian consulate general in Istanbul for more talks during dinner. Full story
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources RT
