Insurgents Target Oil Infrastructure in Northern Iraq
- Insurgents and the Iraqi military have been fighting over the control of Iraq’s largest oil refinery in Baiji, as well as waging an information war in parallel over their alleged accomplishments.
- This brings to mind recent events in Libya, where the crumbling of the central government is not going to make Europe’s immigration problems any easier.
- US Army special forces captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, a suspect in the attacks against the US consulate in Benghazi that killed 4 Americans in September 2012. Libyan diplomats protested this as an “infringement on Libya’s sovereignty”, which apparently they somehow think they are still exercising despite ongoing developments being evidence to the contrary.
- The US is considering selective airstrikes in Iraq according to the NYT, but immediate strikes have been ruled out says the WSJ, as congressional support seems tepid at best.
India
- India’s new government appears willing to be more flexible on foreign participation in local defense firms, while continuing its predecessor’s “made in India” focus, if a tender for littoral anti-submarine ships is any indication. Meanwhile, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) thinks there’s “huge potential” to export Indian missiles.
Helo Dev
- Sikorsky’s privately-developed S-97 Raider compound helicopter has powered on, as it prepares for 1st flight by the end of 2014. Raider is a proving ground for JMR/FVL technologies, and will offer an armed scout/SOF helicopter with a V-22‘s speed but lower purchase, operating, and maintenance costs.
Eurosatory 2014, Day 3
- France’s MINDEF continues its coverage of the Eurosatory trade show in the video below [in French], which includes a segment on the Tigre helicopter (about 2 minutes in):
