Foxbats Versus Tomcats
The Iraqi air force received its first Foxbats – 12 MiG-25P interceptors, 12 MiG-25R reconnaissance aircraft and six MiG-25PU conversion trainers – in 1980. However, the Soviets delivered variants that fell below the technical standards demanded by the Iraqis, so Baghdad refused to accept the aircraft. Moscow eventually agreed... Read more
The February 2018 Air War Between Israel, Syria and Iran Was Brief and Violent
Many of us woke up on the morning of Feb. 10, 2018 to news of air-to-ground clashes between the Israeli Air-Space Force and the forces of the Bashar Al Assad’s regime in Syria and its allies from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. An unmanned aerial vehicle operated by the... Read more
Russia’s Stealth-Fighter Deployment in Syria Is a Dangerous Farce
Late in the evening on Feb. 21, 2018, a photograph appeared on social media purportedly showing two Russian Sukhoi T-50 prototype stealth fighters — also known as PAK-FAs or Su-57s — in the sky over Hmemmem air base in western Syria. While the photograph was rather blurry and could... Read more
The U.S. Military Bushwacked Iranian Forces in Syria
In early February 2018, Syrian regime forces moved to take over oil fields near Dayr Az Zayr that U.S.-backed fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces group had seized from Islamic State in September 2017. The United States responded with a devastating bombardment that killed scores of pro-regime troops. The... Read more
L’émergence d’un nouvel État au Yemen
Un nouveau pays commence à émerger du chaos et de la confusion dans la guerre civile yéménite. Le coup d’Etat à Aden fin janvier 2018 semble accélérer le processus. Le Yémen moderne trouve ses racines dans la période de 1990 à 1994, quand le Nord soutenu par les Saoudiens... Read more
The Super Hind Mk.III Could Be the Best Mi-24 Ever
Some 50 air forces and air arms around the world operate different variants of the famous Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter. Market for upgrades of this type is therefore huge – and the competition is correspondingly fierce. The best-known upgrades for Mi-24s are offered by different Russian and Czech... Read more
A Russian Pilot Died While Attacking Civilians in Syria
On Dec. 11, 2017, Russian president Vladimir Putin, gave a speech to members of the Russian air force — the Russian acronym is “VKS” — at Hmemmem air base in Syria. The most notable part of Putin’s comments was his order for withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria. But... Read more
A New State Is Emerging in Yemen
A new country is beginning to form in the chaos and confusion of Yemen’s civil war. A coup in Aden in late January 2018 has hastened the process. The new Yemen has its roots in the period 1990 to 1994, when the Saudi-supported North Yemen and the Cuban/Soviet-supported South... Read more
In 1977, 80 Mercenaries Nearly Took Over Benin
Much of modern-day public opinion about mercenaries is still colored by adventures of Robert Denard, a French solider and mercenary, famous for his involvement in numerous “jobs” in support of Francafrique – France’s sphere of influence in its former colonies in Africa. One of Denard’s typical operations was the... Read more
Turkey Attacks the Kurds’ Efrin Enclave
Following days of verbal warnings from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and intensive diplomatic activity between Ankara, Washington, Moscow, Tehran and Damascus, on Jan. 19 2018 the Turkish military launched Operation Olive Branch — a military offensive in the so-called “Efrin enclave,” part of northwest Syria controlled by the... Read more