The Russian Air Force struck terrorists’ positions in Daraa province for the first time in the past month. Russia’s fighter jets hit the terrorists’ positions in the strategic hilltops of Tal al-Harra and Tal Antar near Deir al-Adas. Then the SAA carried out attacks on the strategic hilltop of Tal al-Alaqiya and managed to fully destroy the terrorists’ positions in the sector. Also, the Russian airstrikes targeted the ISIS and al-Nusra positions in the Golan Heights in Quneitra province.

Russian fighter jets destroyed a number of the positions of the terrorist groups in the Aleppo province. The airstrikes hit positions of al-Nusra and ISIS in the vicinity of Khanasser-Ithriyah road in the Southern parts of the city of Aleppo.

Earlier SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence reported that the ISIS militants seized territory which is vital to the Syrian government’s logistical lines. So far, ISIS has taken control of approximately 10 Syrian checkpoints along the supply line running from Hama through Salamiyeh, Ithriyah and Khanaser to Aleppo. The Syrian forces have temporarily halted part of their offensive operations in Aleppo province as they scramble to secure the threatened corridor.

On Tuesday morning, ISIS launched a large-scale offensive at the Syrian government stronghold, Al-Safira. According to reports, ISIS began their assault at the northern district of the town where they captured several building blocks. The clashes have been continuing. Militants moved their forces from Tal ‘Arn and Al-‘Aziziyah for this advance.

If ISIS captures Al-Safira, they will cut supplies off from the large number of Syrian troops in Aleppo province and take control of the large army bases surrounding the city.

The Russians are thought to have between 32 and 36 aircraft at their base in Latakia, which means they could generate with between 48 and 96 sorties per day with good logistics.

While the Russians initially surprised many with their ability to generate up to 88 sorties per day, most U.S. defense officials predicted those numbers could not be sustained for long. That’s because the Russians don’t have any recent experience deploying aircraft overseas, nor do they have a well-oiled logistical train that could sustain the pace for long.

Indeed, most Pentagon officials I had talked to expected that logistics would prove to be the Russians’ Achilles’ Heel.

Russian firms to help rebuild war-torn Syria



Syria's post-war reconstruction will be led by Russian companies, according to a member of the Russian Parliament Dmitry Sablin. The MP was part of last week's Russian delegation to Damascus.

Russian officials discussed economic matters with Syrian President Bashar Assad, including the issue of the country’s revival, Sablin told Izvestia daily on Wednesday.

Talking about the reconstruction of Syria’s war-torn regions, President Assad said companies from different countries have already offered their services in rebuilding Syria. While French and Swiss firms are among those ready to participate, the Syrian government will do its best to give Russian companies the best contracts, Assad added.

"There are areas in Syria that can be rebuilt. Syria is ready to provide Russian companies with all the contracts worth hundreds of billions dollars," Sablin quoted Assad as saying.

Same game, different players.

Same game, different players.

the foreign minister told Al Jazeera English’s UpFront program that Syrians “can liberate their country themselves.”

When asked if Qatar would provide military assistance to rebels fighting President Bashar Al Assad’s government forces, he added:

“No, this is out of the question to have our soldiers’ (feet) on the ground … What they want is financial support, they want people to listen to them.”

in his Al Jazeera interview, Al Attiyah echoed remarks made by Qatar’s Emir at the UN and framed the differences between the two sides as a political, rather than a religious, division:

“We don’t see the dispute with Iran in the region as a Sunni-Shia thing,” the foreign minister said. “What we are seeing and what we are fearing is an Arab-Persian conflict which we want to avoid.”

He added that Iran should “calm down the language…to help facilitate” dialogue.

I have reservation towards the decision of acquiring MD530G. Not only that the helicopter doesn't have support facilities that is currently enjoyed by Eurocopter/Airbus helos, it also has lower range and minimally equipped, something that Afghani pilots complained during operation against Taliban.

Somehow, I'm interested with Airbus LAH helicopter. It could double as attack helicopter as well as troop transport and is cheaper than dedicated attack helicopters. Even the market segment is geared towards countries that need a gunship but reluctant to spend on, let say, an Apache

I have reservation towards the decision of acquiring MD530G. Not only that the helicopter doesn't have support facilities that is currently enjoyed by Eurocopter/Airbus helos, it also has lower range and minimally equipped, something that Afghani pilots complained during operation against Taliban.

Somehow, I'm interested with Airbus LAH helicopter. It could double as attack helicopter as well as troop transport and is cheaper than dedicated attack helicopters. Even the market segment is geared towards countries that need a gunship but reluctant to spend on, let say, an Apache

I have reservation towards the decision of acquiring MD530G. Not only that the helicopter doesn't have support facilities that is currently enjoyed by Eurocopter/Airbus helos, it also has lower range and minimally equipped, something that Afghani pilots complained during operation against Taliban.

Somehow, I'm interested with Airbus LAH helicopter. It could double as attack helicopter as well as troop transport and is cheaper than dedicated attack helicopters. Even the market segment is geared towards countries that need a gunship but reluctant to spend on, let say, an Apache

SAF Pioneers - Our Country, Our Stories

The US Navy scrambled four fighter jets to intercept Russian warplanes earlier this week near a United States aircraft carrier operating off the Korean peninsula, the White House said Thursday.

Datang lagi dengan post pro-Singaporenya joke

Well now at least we're buying helis rather than having none... like now...

Enhanced targeting technology is of particular relevance in fast-developing battle circumstances such as Close Quarter Battle, or CQB, where targets can emerge and disappear in fractions of a second. Being able to strike quickly, therefore, can bring added lethality and make the difference between life and death for soldiers.

The technology, called Rapid Target Acquisition, merges two separate Army developmental efforts to engineer, deliver and combine new, upgraded night vision goggles, called Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III, or ENVG III, with next-generation thermal weapons sights --called Family of Weapons Sights – Individual, or FWS-I,  Army officials said.
“This provides rapid target acquisition capability. The soldier no longer has to shoulder their weapon. If you can imagine looking through a goggle and some target or threat presents itself, a soldier no longer has to come all the way up. He or she can put the bubble on the image and engage the target in that manner,” Lt. Col. Timothy Fuller, Product Manager, Soldier Maneuver Systems, told Scout Warrior in an interview.

FWS-I is a thermal sight mounted on top of an M-4 rifle. It can also be configured for crew-served weapons such as a .50-cal machine gun or sniper rifle, Army officials said.

The JL-9 Mountain Eagle was developed and built by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp of China. The new plane can reach speeds of 1,837 kilometres per hour, and boasts a maximum range of 2,400 km. Its maximum takeoff weight is 9.8 metric tons.

The PLA Daily cited senior university instructor Liu Yuequan, who said that the new aircraft can train pilots to fly both second- and third-generation fighter planes, in addition to carrying out some combat operations.