ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Original published by tvc.ru ; translated from Russian by J.Hawk Prince Mukhammad ibn Salman, Saudi Arabia’s minister of defense, has just finished his visit to Moscow. He met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Their discussions concerned the situation in Syria. The prince once again confirmed Riyadh will continue to support Syria’s opposition. Moscow, in turn, warned that arming the islamists wold be unacceptable, according to Igor Korotchenko, an expert on military issues. Igor Korotchenko, the chief director of the National Defense journal discussed the situation in Syria and in the Middle East with the TV Tsentr anchor Aleksey Frolov. –Saudi Arabia is mainly worried that Iran is becoming stronger. The two countries traditionally view one another as competitors over influence over the region. The Saudis are seriously concerned about the consequences of Russia’s intervention in the region–will it lead to the strengthening of Hezbollah, Iran, the Revolutionary Guard Corps both in Syr...

ISIL Toyotas Are No Mystery Amid US Support for ‘Moderate’ Rebels © REUTERS/ Stringer The ‘mysterious’ mass use of Toyota Hilux pickup trucks is no real mystery considering US support for Syrian rebel factions and the proportion of arms ending up in al-Qaeda’s hands, head of the Ron Paul Institute Daniel McAdams told Radio Sputnik. The finding of widespread Toyota truck use by ISIL is no real mystery considering revelations that 60 to 80 percent of US aid to moderate rebels ends up in the hands of the group, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity Daniel McAdams told Radio Sputnik. An April 2014 report run by NPR praising the Toyota Hilux’ use in warfare showed that the US State Department recently delivered 43 Toyota trucks to the free Syrian army. As much as 60 to 80 percent of US arms sent to Syria haven ended up in the arms of al-Qaeda and its affiliates, Joshua Landis, Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, told AP on Saturday. “I think the real ...

Second Time Lucky? France Says It Is Ready to Sell New Ships to Russia © AFP 2015/ POOL / STEPHANE MAHE French president Francois Hollande says Paris is looking to sell new ships to Russia; the announcement comes after France cancelled a long-standing deal for Mistral-class helicopter carriers originally built for Russia, eventually re-selling the warships to Egypt. France is looking to sell new ships to Russia in the future, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday during his visit to the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire in western France. “Things went well with Russia, which has agreed to cancel the contract. And I even think we’ll get partnerships for new ships,” Hollande said. He didn’t specify whether they would be military ships. Neither did he say if Russia is willing to buy anything from France in the future. The French president came aboard one of the warships, originally named the Vladivostok, in reference to the Russian port. The inscription on the hull has been erased an...

CH-4 GT at China Defense Forum This CH-4 drone is carrying two satellite guided bombs on its inner pylons, and two Blue Arrow 7/9 anti-tank missiles on the outer pylons. The CH-4's electro-optical sensor turret is retracted in flight, under the fuselage, to reduce drag. Iraq's Ministry of Defense released an October 2015 video showing an ALIT CH-4 drone taxiing on an Iraqi runway, with two AR-1/HJ-10 antitank missiles (similar to the U.S Hellfire in terms of performance), in preparations for launch airstrikes against ISIL terrorists. Iraq has apparently taken delivery of several CH-4 armed drones in early 2015, spurred on battlefield reversals in Mosul and Ramadi to ISIL. In addition to a high-ranking Iraqi general overseeing drone operations, there appear to be Chinese support crew visible in the video's background. Inspection Iraqi Ministry of Defense An Iraqi general inspects a HJ-10 anti-tank missile mounted on a CH-4 drone. The HJ-10, like the Hellfire missile, is a ...

SECURITY THROUGH GOOD CAMERAS AND BAD SIGNALS By Kelsey D. Atherton  Anti UAV Defense System Brochure Image LiteEye Systems The United Kingdom is ready for robot-on-robot warfare. A new anti-drone weapon system called the “Anti UAV Defense System," which was developed by Blighter Surveillance Systems, Chess Dynamics, and Enterprise Control Systems Ltd, is a combination radar, camera, and jamming system all built into device. Here’s how it works. First, the radar identifies and tracks the flying drone. Then, once the drone is within camera range, the electro-optical camera follows the drone, keeping it in focus at all times. Finally, the jamming device attacks it: Three antennas send out a radio frequency signal to the targeted drone, trying to cut it off from its original controller. In seconds, the jammed drone stops in the air and then crashes to the ground. Like this: The radar can find drones up to five miles away, even ones as small as 15 square inches. This is good,...

Putin’s boost in battle against ISIS: China preparing to ‘team up with Russia in Syria’ CHINA could be on the verge of teaming up with Russia to unleash its military might in Syria and destroy Islamic State (ISIS). By ROB VIRTUE Russia has carried out a series of deadly airstrikes against the terrorist group over the last few days and Vladimir Putin has now sent the country’s most elite special forces team into the war zone. And speculation is heightening that offensive will be bolstered by the China’s People’s Liberation Army, following a number of reports of military movements in the region backed up by strong words from a senior government member at a United Nations meeting. Reports emanating from the Middle East last week said China was planning on joining the fight against ISIS “in the coming weeks”, according to a Syrian army official. While Beijing insists it will abide by the United Nations (UN) in the region, hints of an action were backed up when it spoke strongly about a coo...

The Russian Air Force conducted 64 sorties and hit a total of 55 targets, he said Russian warplanes in Syria have bombed 29 terrorist field camps and other facilities of the militant group Islamic State in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. “Our aviation group over the past day has destroyed two militant command centers, 29 field camps, 23 fortified facilities and several troop positions with military hardware,” ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday. The Russian Air Force conducted 64 sorties and hit a total of 55 targets, he said. He added that the Russian effort has “considerably degraded” the strength of the terrorist forces in Syria. “During the initial phase of the operation, our warplanes have destroyed the biggest and most important supply hubs of ISIL,” Konashenkov said, calling Islamic State by its former name. This resulted in the “mobility and offensive capability” of the jihadists being reduced, he said. The general said signa...