ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Typhoon T2 of the RSAF 10th Squadron. The 10th Squadron is being equipped with T2 and T3As currently. On the final day of the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to the UK, BAE Systems officially announced that the UK Government has signed a Memorandum of Intent with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to aim to finalize discussions for the purchase of 48 Typhoon fighter jets. “We have taken a vital step toward finalizing another order for Typhoon jets that will increase security in the Middle East and boost British industry and jobs in our unrivalled aerospace sector,” UK’s Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said commenting on the new contract. BAE Systems had supplied the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) with 72 Typhoon fighter jets under a previous contract, which was singed in 2007. The new contract, which worthes more than £10bn according to the Telegraph, will boost the defense industry in the UK and allow BAE System to keep the production line of Typhoon fighter je

Click to see the full-size image On March 10, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Free Syrian Army captured the villages of Inab, Kafr Rum, Kurt Qulaq, Al-Tiflah and Huran from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the Syrian area of Afrin.  With advances made by the TAF and the FSA on March 9 , Turkish forces deployed within about 4km northeast of the YPG-held city of Afrin – the main YPG stronghold in the area. As the frontline between Turkey-led forces and the YPG shortens, the Kurdish group has less and less opportunities to maneuver conducting counter-attacks and avoiding Turkish artillery and air strikes. The YPG’s lack of heavy weapons become more and more crticial. It’s interesting to note that pro-YPG sources also understand this and use this fact in own propaganda. Pro-YPG media outlets and activists claim that the TAF and the FSA can nothing without support from the air. However, these reports cannot deny a progress by Turkey-led forces. Click to see t

By TRT TV, click to see the full-size map On March 7, the Turkish Army and its proxies from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) captured the town of Mash’alah of the Shara district, only 8km north of the city of Afrin, according to FSA-linked sourcces. Additionally, the Turkish Army reportedly captured the Maydanki Dam and the village of Hallubi Sagher northeast of Mash’alah. Earlier, the Turkish Army and its proxies advanced in the southern part of the Shara district and  captured the villages and towns of Kafr Janneh, Tall Hamu, Shirkan, Metinli and Qatma and Tel Hamu . Kurdish and Turkish sources reported that the Turkish Air Force (TAF) had stepped up its aerial operations against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the center of the Jandaris district, west of Afrin. At least two women were injured in the TAF’s bombardment. Meanwhile, the YPG press announced that YPG fighters had repelled several attacks by the Turkish Army and its proxies on their positions

On March 7, a booby-trapped car exploded at a checkpoint of the Free Syrian Police in the southern entrance of the city of Jarabulus in the area in northern Aleppo occupied by Turkey during its Operation Euphrates Shield. According to the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Zaman al-Wasl, 11 civilians were killed and two members of the Free Syrian Police were injured in the explosion. A day earlier, a similar booby-trapped car targeted a HQ of the Free Syrian Police in the city of al-Bab, located southwest of Jarabulus. According to Syrian opposition and Turkish sources, one civilian was killed and more than five others were injured in the attack. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, Syrian opposition activists have accused the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) of carrying out the both attacks in response to  its recent loses in Afrin. An unnamed security source in the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) told the Syrian pro-opposition

Map of the situation around Hays during December 2017 On March 7, fighters loyal to Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi repelled several attacks by the Houthis on their positions in the southern part of the Hays district in the western province of al-Hudaydah, according to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV. Pro-Hadi fighters supported by Apache attack helicopters of the Saudi-led coalition killed 30 Houthi members. The Hays district was captured by the Saudi-led coalition and pro-Hadi forces on December 10, 2017 . The district is one of the key positions in western Yemen as it overlooks the highway toward thh al-Hudaydah port. In response to the Houthis’ attacks on Hays, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes on positions, camps, ammo depots and headquarters of the Houthis in the districts of al-Jarrahi and Tuhayat, south of Hays. Al-Arabiya said that more than 100 Houthis fighters had been killed and dozens others had been injured in the S

For the first time, the United States Army has begun the testing of  a ground-based robot that can shoot  at specified targets with a .50-caliber top-mounted machine gun. It’s a self-driving vehicle called the “Wingman”. It’s part of a broader program and initiative to develop other armed robotic vehicles just like it. According to reports on its development, it is currently being tested to measure its ability to accurately identify and shoot its targets. According to a statement from the U.S. Army itself, the Wingman is best described as an autonomous remote engagement system that can help reduce the time that it usually takes to identify targets. It does this by relying on a “vision-based automatic target detection and user-specified target selection,” the Army report noted. They already began tests involving the Wingman some time last year, but the Army  now hopes to conduct even more exercises  with other types of heavily armed ground robots quite soon. According to Paul Rog

The Russians have offered militants a safe passage out of the Syrian region of Eastern Ghouta [near Damascus] suggesting them to leave with their families and personal weapons through a humanitarian corridor out of the region. The proposal comes amid a rapidly developing military operation of the Syrian Army in the area, which has already led to a situation when joint forces of Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam, Faylaq al-Rahman and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have lost over 36% of the pocket.  MORE DETAILS “The Russian Reconciliation Center guarantees the immunity of all rebel fighters who take the decision to leave Eastern Ghouta with personal weapons and together with their families,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement adding that vehicles would “be provided, and the entire route will be guarded.” While the statement provided no details to what area militants would be evacuated, most likely, the proposed evacuation route will provide militants an opportunity to reach the m

On March 5, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived Iran to discuss the 2015 nuclear agreement with President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other top officials. However, the French diplomat immediately showed an official stance of his country accusing Teheran of “destabilizing” the Middle East hinting to the Iranian missile program as well as the country’s involvement in the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The Iranian foreign minister responded saying that it is the US and its allies who are resnponsible for the current crisis in the region. “The United States and other countries that have turned our region into a gunpowder depot by selling arms must stop such actions,” Zarif said, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency. Zarif cointuned in his twitter account: 5 Mar Javad Zarif ✔ @JZarif In meeting today, told France FM: EU should compel US to abide by JCPOA rather than trying to appease it by repeating its extraneous d