Beer

First carrier landing for Indian LCA

1 hour ago, Serge said:

BMP-3 upgraded with a new turret ?

https://www.janes.com/article/93637/russian-ground-forces-to-receive-upgraded-bmps-and-bmpts-in-2020

Epokha has 57 mm low-pressure gun, not 30 mm 2A42. 

Completely ridiculous accident of Mi-35 in Indonesia. 

Was it a common tactics for Pe-2 to bomb in dive (I'm aware they had the airbrakes for that) or were they used also as horizontal bombers or for shallow dives? 

More satellite pics of the damage to the Al Asad base. Two missiles hit a taxiway and a runway, those likely missed. The rest is direct hits into many hangars/buildings. It's very probable that some aircraft were destroyed or damaged either by direct hits or by shrapnels. 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31769/satellite-images-show-the-aftermath-of-irans-missile-strikes-on-al-assad-air-base-in-iraq

Complete image of the base (very high resolution): https://s5.gifyu.com/images/highres.jpg

Allegedly the missiles used in the strike were mobile Zulfaghar ones. That's an improved Fatteh-110, i.e. something even the Lebanese Hezbollah likely posses. 

Full flight track with ADB-S obviously being switched off for some time. 

https://www.radarbox24.com/data/flights/BNDGE53

This should be Qiam-1 booster stage.

.Very interesting video of the BM descent and hit.

17 hours ago, GMerlon said:

 

I wasn't able to find anything that directly said that the US government acknowledged sending a signed copy of the letter. Do you have a source for that? The Iraqi prime minister states that he did receive one though, but I haven't seen any images of it online anywhere. This isn't too necessarily say that it didn't necessarily happen, but the original revealers of the letter and the Iraqi PM both have political motive for wanting such a thing exposed.

The source was the twitter post. The guy saying that works for Washington Post. 

It looks like it was more or less a demonstration strike (i was wrong saying no missiles will fly) but the satelite images of some impacts show it was actually a precise one.

Iraq says they were notified beforehand and it's likely Iraq warned US, i.e. it could have happened the same way as Trump's strike on Syria months a go, i.e. a demonstration of capability and determination with minimal actual damage. Let's see if it ends with that. 

What is interesting is US saying they have no AA assets in Iraq. 

Actually it's a lot more countries involved. UAE, Egypt and Russia are directly and visibly involved on LNA side while Turkey on GNA side but many other countries are involved indirectly. France or Greece do support LNA as well. USA or Italy at least seem to have no problem with Haftar. Qatar supports GNA. Algeria, Tunisia or Marocco probably too but they don't want to be involved directly. Recently Tunisia even refused to support the Turkish intervention.   

On the other hand there is very little left of GNA territory so it's a question if it's worth of own thread. Maybe... 

PS LNA captured today also one Khrizantema and one T-55 in Abu Grian. LNA also claimed to shot down one Bayraktar T2 but there is no footage anywhere for confirmation. 

I don't think that trailer has naything to do with Bayraktar. It looks like something old. 

This is Bayraktar command post: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Bayraktar_Tactical_UAS_GCS.JPG/694px-Bayraktar_Tactical_UAS_GCS.JPG

Meanwhile Putin and Shoygu were in Damascus for a quick visit to Assad and Ayyoub (in fact they met in Russian military HQ) and now are landing in Istanbul. 

LNA captured a Khrizantema in Sirte and a famous EE-9 technical. 

It's no mistake of the media. The US actually delivered this "draft" letter to Iraqi government. The leak came from Iraq and US representatives confirmed the story. They are either bunch of clowns or somebody did it in purpose. 

https://mobile.twitter.com/LizSly/status/1214297805659017222

It's circus... 

US just informed Iraq that it's going to leave the country. 

Quote

In order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner. 

Something important from Libya. LNA took control of Sirte and its airbase. There are reports about hundreds of local fighters defecting to LNA. 

Al Shabaab successfully attacked a Kenyan airfield causing a lot of damage to the US AFRICOM including several casualties and an expensive hardware. No words on kenyan casualties. 

1 US service member killed, 2 wounded

2 US DoD contractors killed

1 DASH-8 special purpose aircraft destroyed

1 King Air special purpose aircraft (?) destroyed

Several (?) hellicopters destroyed (at least one shall be Bell 412)

2 M-ATV likely also destroyed

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31721/3-americans-dead-6-aircraft-destroyed-or-damaged-including-a-rare-spy-plane-in-kenya-attack

Yesterday Iraqi parlament voted on a bill to remove all foreign troops from Iraq and close the airspace. Trump already started to treaten Iraq with sanctions over that. Will US try to hold the small and thinly spread forces in Iraq and Syria? I don't think it's actually feasible if Shiites start attacking them en masse unless US brings let's say 100 thousand more troops in Iraq, i.e. occupy it again. On the other hand if US pulls the troops out of Iraq Soleimani ultimately achieved his main goal in his death, so... 

Meanwhile Qatari foreign minister was in Tehran. 

Also meanwhile Iraqi PM Abdul-Mahdi said that Soleimani came to Baghdad carrying a letter from Iran to Saudi Arabia which was an answer to Saudi letter delivered previously through Iraq working as a mediator in the process of Saudi-Iranian deescalation. 

What seems to be sure (at least I think so) is that no ballistic missiles will start falling on Al Udeid, King Fahd, Muwaffaq or Ahmad al Jaber airbases. Soleimani would never act like that hence why I expect IRGC will continue his strategy to outmaneuvre US and Saudi with proxies. 

Now we have to wait for the actual funeral of Soleimani to be over. For sure Iran won't do anything before it. 

Is the one on the right side V-AR? As I understand V-AR are only semi-auto, or are they produced as full auto as well? 

Here some brochures from V-AR: http://www.v-ar.cz/download/V-AR EN_2.pdf http://www.v-ar.cz/download/V-AR EN_1.pdf

New Anna video, relatively short this time. It's about the last failed HTS counterattack. 

Another airstrike against PMU leadership near Taji. Three vehicles hit, six dead. No names yet. 

Iraqi parlament to vote tomorrow about explulsion of US and NATO troops from Iraq. 

IRGC brig. general Ismael Qa'ani appointed new commander of Quds force (former Soleimani's deputy). 

There are some reports about JSOC capturing another IRGC-linked persons around Baghdad. 

Meanwhile millions of Iranians in the streets marching in support of IRGC. The killing of Soleimani was the worst thing which could happen to the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran. I am afraid it will in fact strenghten the Khamenei's rule just like basically everything the US did in the Middle East in past two decades. 

Interesting times ahead... 

IRGC Quds force commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in US airstrike near Bagdad airport together with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy leader of Iraqi PMU and chief of Kata'ib Hezbollah. Some reports say that Naim Qassem, deputy commander of Lebanese Hezbollah was also killed in the strike.  

Here both together on archive photo

This is an act of war for Iran for sure. The question is how far will it escalate. One of the first reactions is claimed reactivation of Mahdi army by Muqtada al Sadr. 

Taiwanese chief of general staff Shen Yi-ming plus several other high ranked officers died in a hellicopter accident.

https://t.co/6HuRC6EeZk