Bahrain and other Gulf States Set To Buy Iron Dome System

Bahrain and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are in negotiations to buy the Israeli-developed Iron Dome anti-missile system to defend against "a growing arsenal of Iranian missiles".
The Israeli weapon, which has reduced the effectiveness of rockets fired out of Gaza into Israel by about 90% would be bought through Raytheon and other American contractors who developed the Iron Dome with Israeli arms giant Rafael.
A deal for the whole of the GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, would be worth tens, perhaps hundreds, of billions of dollars.
Bahrain's foreign minister said on a visit to London: "The Israelis have their small Iron Dome. We'll have a much bigger one in the GCC."
The sale of Israeli-developed weapons to a Gulf state, or states, would have been controversial for both the Israelis and the buyers a few years ago.
But both now see one of the main threats to them as the growing military strength and ambitions of Iran.
sky.com

US Navy ships escorting U.S.-flagged merchants in strait

Navy ships in the Persian Gulf are accompanying U.S.-flagged merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran's recent seizure of one cargo ship and its harassment of another in international waters, a defense official has confirmed to Navy Times.
A dozen ships are operating in the area and capable of providing support, the official said on Thursday. U.S. warships frequently transit the strait, but it is more unusual for the U.S. to routinely convoy U.S.-flagged merchants through.
The warships include ships with the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which entered 5th Fleet three weeks ago and spent several days in the waters off Yemen, a show of force that compelled Iranian ships to turn around.
The move, first reported by Defense One, comes as tensions rise in the region, with news that Iranian navy ships harassed one U.S.-flagged shipping vessel in international waters and later boarded a Marshall Islands cargo ship, a country under U.S. protection.
navytimes

USAF A-10s participate in Gulf coalition exercises

Six A-10 Thunderbolts and more than 120 personnel assigned to the 190th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron recently arrived here to participate in three major coalition exercises in the Gulf region.
Since their arrival to the region the unit has participated in one exercise and is scheduled to participate in two more. Exact locations for most exercises in the region are not released due to host-nation sensitivities.
The primary focus of the exercise is to improve interoperability between A-10 and coalition operators.
af.mil

Iran Unveils Surface to Surface Missile With 2500 KM Range; Direct Threat to US Vessels in Persian Gulf

Iran revealed on Sunday Iran’s new surface-to-surface cruise missile, the “Soumar.”
The “Soumar” has a range of 2500km, posing a serious threat to any vessels sailing in the Persian Gulf, particularly US naval forces, as well as an array of countries which are distant from Iran. Its design is based on a Soviet missile, similar to one stolen from Ukraine 12 years ago which made its way to Iran from the Chinese.
The missile can be launched from planes, or equipped with a nuclear warhead.
However, the original Ukrainian missiles on which the “Soumar” is based were not equipped with nuclear warheads, and could be launched from ships as well as submarines.
There are far-reaching implications to the revelation of the “Soumar,” particularly since Iran has never confirmed in the past that it possesses missiles with a range of above 2000km, yet now it has revealed a missile with a 2500km range that is capable of reaching a series of countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and others. Additionally, the missile’s range can be increased to 3000km with external fuel tanks.
algemeiner

French aircraft Charles de Gaulle carrier set for Persian Gulf to fight ISIS

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is preparing to leave for the Gulf region where it is expected to engage in combat against ISIS, according to the specialist website Mer et Marine.
Although such a move has not been confirmed by the French Presidency, nor army or naval spokespersons, the website is usually well-informed about naval matters.
According to Mer et Marine, the Charles de Gaulle and its 30 aircraft, including Rafale jets, should take up position in the Persian Gulf.
They will take part in the air bombing campaign conducted by the US-led coalition against the jihadist forces of the group which calls itself Islamic State;
France already has nine Rafale planes, a C135 supply plane, an Awacs E-3F detector plane and an Atlantic 2 maritime patrol plane in the region.
The Rafales are based either in the United Arab Emirates or in Jordan.
President Hollande is scheduled to make a speech aboard the Charles de Gaulle at its home base in Toulon on 14 January, when he is expected officially to announce its deployment.
english.rfi.fr

U.S. Navy Deploys Its First Laser Weapon in the Persian Gulf

The U.S. Navy has deployed on a command ship in the Persian Gulf its first laser weapon capable of destroying a target.
The amphibious transport ship USS Ponce has been patrolling with a prototype 30-kilowatt-class Laser Weapon System since late August. The laser is mounted facing the bow, and can be fired in several modes -- from a dazzling warning flash to a destructive beam -- and can set a drone or small boat on fire.
Since 2011, the Navy has boosted its presence in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil flows. Equipped with naval mines and small vessels that practice swarming tactics to attack larger warships, Iranian officials have periodically threatened to close the waterway.
The Navy laser wasn’t specifically designed or deployed to counter Iran’s arsenal of small armed vessels.
Naval Sea Systems Command technicians developed the prototype over seven years at a cost of about $40 million. The Ponce crew was authorized to deploy the weapon after it passed a series of at-sea tests, including lasing static surface targets.
The prototype focuses the light from six solid-state commercial welding lasers on a single spot. It “can effectively counter surface and airborne threats, to include small boats” and drones, according to the Navy.
The device can emit progressively stronger beams, first to warn an adversary, and then destroy it if necessary.
bloomberg

USS Carl Vinson will relieve USS George HW Bush group in Persian Gulf

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is headed to the Persian Gulf to conduct air operations against militants in Iraq and Syria.
The Carl Vinson, along with the rest of its strike group, will relieve the USS George H.W. Bush, which has been stationed in the Gulf since June.
stripes

U.S. F-22 stealth fighter pilot taunted Iranian F-4 Phantom combat planes over the Persian Gulf

Earlier this year, Pentagon Press Secretary, said that an IRIAF F-4 Phantom attempted to intercept a U.S. MQ-1 drone flying in international airspace off Iran.
IRIAF F-4 Phantom jets came to about 16 miles from the UAV but broke off pursuit after they were broadcast a warning message by two American planes escorting the Predator.
The episode happened in March 2013, few months after a two Sukhoi Su-25 attack planes attempted to shoot down an American MQ-1 flying a routine surveillance flight in international airspace some 16 miles off Iran, the interception of the unmanned aircraft failed. After this attempted interception the Pentagon decided to escort the drones involved in ISR (intelligence surveillance reconnaissance) missions with fighter jets, either F-18 Hornets with the CVW 9 embarked on the USS John C. Stennis whose Carrier Strike Group is currently in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility or F-22 Raptors like those deployed to Al Dhafra in the UAE.
New details about the episode were recently disclosed by Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh who on Sept. 17 not only confirmed that the fighter jets providing HVAAE (High Value Air Asset Escort) were F-22 stealth fighters but also said that:
“He [the Raptor pilot] flew under their aircraft [the F-4s] to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said ‘you really ought to go home’”
theaviationist

BAE Expects More Gulf Orders for Typhoons

BAE Systems has raised prospects of a further sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia as the British-based defense giant unveiled first half 2013 results that again showed the importance of the Arabian Gulf region to business growth.
defensenews

US Navy Boosts Arabian Gulf Patrol Craft Force

Three more US Navy patrol coastal vessels have arrived in Bahrain, growing the permanently based force in the Arabian Gulf to eight ships.
The additional ships — Tempest, Squall and Thunderbolt — arrived June 30 aboard the heavy-lift ship Eide Transporter, completing a five-week voyage from Norfolk, Va. They were floated off early July 3 and taken across Manama’s harbor to the military base at Mina Salman.
defensenews

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to re-deploy Thursday after two months in port

Two months after returning from the Middle East, the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike group are scheduled to head back Thursday for another several months in the Persian Gulf.
The deployment comes amid uncertainty as Navy officials grapple with the prospect of deep budget cuts. The deployment of another Norfolk-based carrier, the Harry S. Truman, was canceled earlier this month as part of the belt-tightening.

hamptonroads