New Syrian-supplied weapon enables Hizballah to shoot down Israeli aircraft

Posted by Matt in March 3rd, 2010 | no comment

Published in Israel, Middle East, Syria, Caution, Cruise-Missiles, damascus, Debkafile, Drones, Espionage, helicopters, hezbollah, Hizballah, Igla, Israeli Aircraft, Military Sources, New Weapons, Surface To Air, Surface To Air Missiles, Surveillance Aircraft, Syria, Terrorism Security, Transports, Warplanes, Weather Conditions

Syria has defied Israel’s caution that handing over new strategic weapons to the Lebanese Hizballah would compel Israel to strike targets inside Syria. debkafile’s military sources disclose that Damascus has just smuggled across the border a number of Russian-made IGLA-S surface-to-air missiles capable of intercepting low-flying F-16 warplanes, drones, helicopters, cruise missiles, transports and surveillance [...]

Why Russia lacks aircraft carriers

Posted by Matt in July 16th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Russia, Admiral, Aircraft Carriers, British Royal Navy, Carrier Fleet, Construction Program, July 4, Kravchenko, Military Policies, Russia, Russian Navy, Successes, Turn Of The Century, Warplanes

Soviet military policies never called for building full-fledged aircraft carriers operating multi-role warplanes. Nor did Russia draft any clear carrier construction program at the turn of the century.
On July 4, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian Navy’s Main Headquarters, said the country had to build a carrier fleet in the near future. This [...]

Exclusive: Israel’s air maneuver did not simulate possible Iran strike strategy

Posted by Matt in June 23rd, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Israel, Military, Attack, Blitz, Capability, Conjunction, Crete, Greek Air Force, helicopters, Iran Nuclear, Israel, Israel Nuclear, Israeli Air Force, Long Distance, Maneuver, Military Sources, natanz, Nuclear Facilities, Reactor, Rehearsal, Tactic, Uranium Enrichment Plant, Warplanes

DEBKAfile’s Western military sources do not believe that if Israel does attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, it will resort to the old-fashioned aerial blitz tactic employed in 1981 for bombing Iraq’s Osirak reactor. They therefore challenge the US officials’ conclusion that Israel’s aerial exercise in conjunction with the Greek Air Force over Crete in early June [...]

Israel: Self-Made Nakba

Posted by Matt in May 19th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Israel, Antiaircraft, Arab League, Arab Side, Arab States, Barry Rubin, Demagogues, Endless Conflict, Harry Truman, Independent Palestinian State, Israeli Jews, Jewish Immigration, Key Point, Military Training, Mourners, Palestine Conflict, Palestinian Leadership, Palestinian Refugee Issue, Partition Plan, President Harry Truman, Troop Carriers, Warplanes

By Barry Rubin
It’s become fashionable to match celebration of Israel’s founding (though part of the media can’t even admit Israelis are celebrating) with Palestinian marking of their 1948 “nakba” catastrophe.
Yet whose fault is it that they didn’t use those six decades constructively? And who killed the independent Palestinian state alongside Israel that was part of [...]