Af/Pak & Other News (1/27/2021)

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Afghanistan Wanted Chinese Mining Investment. It Got a Chinese Spy Ring Instead.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/27/afghanistan-china-spy-ring-mcc-mining-negotiations-mineral-wealth/



Pakistan receives five CH-4 UAVs from China

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/pakistan-receives-five-ch-4-uavs-from-china



UFO spotted by Pakistani pilots near Rahim Yar Khan, new video reveals

https://www.geo.tv/latest/332053-pia-pilots-see-ufo-on-domestic-flight









Is India’s Russian S-400 Missile Deal Comparable To Turkey’s Troubled Procurement?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2021/01/27/how-analogous-is-indias-russian-s-400-missile-deal-with-turkeys-troubled-procurement/



Army eyes Tibetology to checkmate China

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-eyes-tibetology-to-checkmate-china/articleshow/80489811.cms









Iran is totally confused on how to approach Biden - analysis

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iran-is-totally-confused-on-how-to-approach-biden-analysis-656855



Iran Threatens to Take Out Tel Aviv if Israel Follows Through With New Military Plans

https://www.newsweek.com/iran-threatens-take-tel-aviv-israel-follows-new-military-plans-1564927









Explosions south of Baghdad likely sabotage, not airstrikes

https://medium.com/dfrlab/explosions-south-of-baghdad-likely-sabotage-not-airstrikes-1ab68aec6c71



Iraqi army kills 7 Daesh\ISIS terrorists, northern Iraq

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraqi-army-kills-7-daesh-isis-terrorists-northern-iraq/2125231









B-52s Return To The Middle East In Show Of Force As Biden Weighs Iran Policy

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38943/b-52s-return-to-the-middle-east-in-show-of-force-as-biden-weighs-iran-policy




US suspends $23 billion sale of F-35s to UAE that followed Abraham Accords

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-puts-hold-on-sale-of-f-35s-to-uae-that-followed-abraham-accords/




US, Qatari air forces complete “first-ever” exercise over Qatar

https://defbrief.com/2021/01/27/us-qatari-air-forces-complete-first-ever-exercise-over-qatar/




UN panel: Yemen’s war being fueled by economic profiteering

https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-yemen-united-nations-economy-da27d0af04a8163fdff1b809533262b6




Turkey: Let Us Be Friends Again

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/turkey/articles/20210126.aspx









Russian jets wipe out ISIS hideouts in Syria with 95 air strikes in 24-hour bombing blitz

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13865051/russian-jets-isis-syria-bombing-blitz/



Russia uses regime-SDF tensions to expand presence in northeast Syria

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2021/01/syria-regime-kurdish-sdf-tensions-russia-forces-deployment.html









Israeli military chief warns of new plans to strike Iran

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-israel-iran-iran-nuclear-middle-east-79ef89b7f7d8df1974856eaeb5a69905



Kochavi's Iran speech hints at IDF's long term plan - analysis

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/kochavis-iran-speech-hints-at-idfs-long-term-plan-analysis-656902



Is Israel Preparing for an All-Out War With Iran?

https://sofrep.com/news/is-israel-preparing-for-an-all-out-war-with-iran/









The Libyan Arab Armed Forces: A Hybrid Armed Actor?

https://warontherocks.com/2021/01/the-libyan-arab-armed-forces-a-hybrid-armed-actor/




PATRIOT Air Defense systems and G550 aircraft for Morocco

https://www.africanmilitaryblog.com/2021/01/patriot-air-defense-systems-and-g550-aircraft-for-morocco




Nigeria: Biafra Is Burning Again

https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/nigeria/articles/20210127.aspx




Joint Operation Kills 100 Extremists in the Sahel

https://sofrep.com/news/joint-operation-kills-100-extremists-in-the-sahel/




Zambian Air Force Y-12 Aircraft Skidded Off The Runway During Landing

https://fighterjetsworld.com/air/zambian-air-force-y-12-aircraft-skidded-off-the-runway-during-landing/24438/









Ukraine uncovers ring that hacked banks in US, Europe

https://apnews.com/article/technology-ukraine-hacking-kharkiv-europe-ac50e8f43cd9994794753d822b941a09



Putin warns of ‘all against all’ fight if global tensions are not resolved

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/russias-putin-warns-of-a-fight-of-all-against-all-at-wef.html



Russia, Iran Flaunt Strategic Ties as They Face New US Policies Under Biden

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-flaunt-strategic-ties-they-face-new-us-policies-under-biden-1564683



The Soviet Union is long gone, but Russia still has Soviet-designed aircraft on the frontline around the world

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-soviet-union-is-long-gone-but-russia-still-has-soviet-designed-aircraft-on-the-frontline-around-the-world/ar-BB1d7vG7



Russia Is Getting Ready for a Baltic Region Military Bonanza

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia-getting-ready-baltic-region-military-bonanza-177063



Russian lawmakers approve extension of nuclear arms pact with U.S.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-security/russian-lawmakers-approve-extension-of-nuclear-arms-pact-with-u-s-idUSKBN29W1RW



Russia, US exchange documents to extend nuclear pact

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-moscow-dmitry-medvedev-vienna-russia-233ecf6c9379085e3b6a70bc548a7e18



Biden And Putin Confirm Last-Minute Push To Extend Key Nuclear Arms Control Deal After Call

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38935/biden-and-putin-confirm-last-minute-push-to-extend-key-nuclear-arms-control-deal-after-call



Russia Brags Extension of New START Nuclear Arms Treaty With U.S. Is 'On Our Terms'

https://www.newsweek.com/new-start-russia-kremlin-joe-biden-vladimir-putin-nuclear-arms-1564804



Police raid Navalny offices, home as Russia fines social media platforms

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210127-police-raid-navalny-offices-home-as-russia-fines-social-media-platforms



With Russia Protesting Navalny’s Arrest, Calls Mount to Target Putin’s Inner Circle

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/25/russia-protests-navalny-arrest-putin-inner-circle/



Joe Biden Confronts Vladimir Putin on Navalny Poisoning in First Call With Russian Leader

https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-confronts-vladimir-putin-navalny-poisoning-first-call-russian-leader-1564624



Navalny Poison Squad Implicated in Murders of Three Russian Activists

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/01/27/navalny-poison-squad-implicated-in-murders-of-three-russian-activists/



Russia Is in Agony, but Putin’s Dictatorship Is Going Down

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/26/russia-navalny-protests-putin-dictatorship-kasparov/




Aftermath: Lessons Of The Nagorno-Karabakh War Are Paraded Through The Streets Of Baku

https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/01/aftermath-lessons-of-nagorno-karabakh.html




First Danish F-35 ready for April delivery after rolling off production line

https://defbrief.com/2021/01/27/first-danish-f-35-ready-for-april-delivery-after-rolling-off-production-line/




Enjoy A Walkaround Of The New M-345 Trainer Aircraft With Leonardo’s Head Of Test Pilot Training Programs

https://theaviationist.com/2021/01/26/enjoy-a-walkaround-of-the-new-m-345-trainer-aircraft-with-leonardos-head-of-test-pilot-training-programs/




MBDA fires new anti-tank missile from unmanned turret on 4x4 vehicle

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/27/mbda-fires-new-anti-tank-missile-from-unmanned-turret-on-4x4-vehicle/



Germany seeks new STH bids from Boeing, Lockheed Martin

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/germany-seeks-new-sth-bids-from-boeing-lockheed-martin









Chilean Air Force L-19A Bird Dog Plane Made A Crash Landing Near Municipal de Vitacura Airport

https://fighterjetsworld.com/latest-news/aircraft-crash/chilean-air-force-l-19a-bird-dog-plane-made-a-crash-landing-near-municipal-de-vitacura-airport/24442/




First Brazilian Air Force pilots start transition to Gripen

https://www.blogbeforeflight.net/2021/01/first-brazilian-pilots-start-transition-gripen.html









China is rolling out new uniforms to make troops on disputed South China Sea islands more comfortable

https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-troops-disputed-south-china-sea-islands-new-uniforms-2021-1



China Needs A Hundred Bombers To Punch Through An American Flattop’s Defenses

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/01/27/china-needs-a-hundred-bombers-to-punch-through-an-american-flattops-defenses/



China’s Y-20 eyes new missions on anniversary of first flight

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/chinas-y-20-eyes-new-missions-on-anniversary-of-first-flight/142141.article



Declassified U.S. intelligence bolsters Wuhan lab theory in coronavirus outbreak

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jan/26/wuhan-lab-theory-coronavirus-outbreak-bolstered-de/



China Will Never Renounce Using Force Against Taiwan, Warplanes a Warning: CCP Official

https://www.newsweek.com/china-will-never-renounce-using-force-against-taiwan-warplanes-warning-ccp-official-1564751





The Tactical Implications of North Korea’s Military Modernization

https://thediplomat.com/2021/01/the-tactical-implications-of-north-koreas-military-modernization/





Japan Keeps Spending More On Defense

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20210127.aspx





US, Chinese militaries’ South China Sea posturing continues into Joe Biden era

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3119325/us-chinese-militaries-south-china-sea-posturing-continues-joe










US terrorism alert warns of politically motivated violence

https://apnews.com/article/us-terrorism-alert-75156eae27532bd9e5cbfe35e6485a3b



Fmr. CIA Dir. Brennan calls the threat from domestic violent extremists ‘much more challenging’ than the threat from foreign terrorists

https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/fmr-cia-dir-brennan-calls-the-threat-from-domestic-violent-extremists-much-more-challenging-than-the-threat-from-foreign-terrorists-100118597994



The Far Right Looks to Small Cells and Lone Wolves After Capitol Fiasco

https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7ax8n/experts-say-the-mcveigh-cell-is-a-serious-threat-from-far-right



In its latest gargantuan defense budget bill, Congress quietly eliminated the Pentagon's top spending watchdog

https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-quietly-sacks-top-pentagon-spending-watchdog-in-defense-bill-2021-1



Navy "UFO Patent" Documents Talk Of "Spacetime Modification Weapon," Detail Experimental Testing

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38937/navy-ufo-patent-documents-talk-of-spacetime-modification-weapon-detail-experimental-testing



Congressional Panel: We Have a 'Moral Imperative' to At Least Consider Building a Terminator

https://gizmodo.com/congressional-panel-we-have-a-moral-imperative-to-at-l-1846144971



Biden Orders Pentagon To Include Climate Change In New Strategy & War Games

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/01/biden-orders-pentagon-to-include-climate-change-in-new-strategy-war-games/



IARPA’s Bioweapon Detection Tools Have Difficulty Finding What They’re Not Looking For

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2021/01/27/iarpas-bioweapon-detection-tools-have-difficulty-finding-what-theyre-not-looking-for/



The United States Smuggled A Russian-Made Pantsir Air Defense System Out Of Libya: Report

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38964/the-united-states-smuggled-a-russian-made-pantsir-air-defense-system-out-of-libya-report



How the intelligence community is tapping into commercial radio frequency data

https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoint/2021/01/26/how-the-intelligence-community-is-tapping-into-commercial-radio-frequency-data/



Air Force Fighters Almost Got An Air-Launched Ballistic Missile 40 Years Ago, Now They’re A Hot Item

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38930/the-usaf-almost-got-an-air-launched-ballistic-missile-forty-years-ago-now-theyre-a-hot-item



The Pentagon Needs To Rethink Its Worst-Case Scenarios Against China And Russia

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanclark/2021/01/26/the-pentagon-needs-to-rethink-its-worst-case-scenarios-against-china-and-russia/



Facing Biden administration, Raytheon drops sale of offensive weapon to Middle Eastern country

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/facing-biden-administration-raytheon-drops-sale-of-offensive-weapon-to-middle-eastern-country/142136.article



2021 Is the Year the Small Drone Arms Race Heats Up

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/01/2021-year-small-drone-arms-race-heats/171650/



USAF Astromech

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htcbtsp/articles/20210126.aspx



The First Contractor-Operated F-16 Aggressor Jets Are Heading To North America

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38944/the-first-contractor-operated-f-16-aggressor-jets-are-heading-to-north-america



Shapeshifting Pegasus Drone Both Drives And Flies, Now Has Smart Radio

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastienroblin/2021/01/27/shapeshifting-pegasus-drone-both-drives-and-flies-now-has-smart-radio/



Air Force chief: Electromagnetic spectrum could be cheaper option to defeat enemies

https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2021/01/27/air-force-chief-electromagnetic-spectrum-could-be-cheaper-option-to-defeat-enemies/



Fighter Pilots Reveal Why You Don't Want To Mess With The A-10 Warthog In A Dogfight

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38894/fighter-pilots-reveal-why-you-dont-want-to-mess-with-the-a-10-warthog-in-a-dogfight



New technique builds super-hard metals from nanoparticles

https://www.nanodaily.com/reports/New_technique_builds_super_hard_metals_from_nanoparticles_999.html



U.S. Space Command to Leverage AI to Maintain ‘Digital Superiority’

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/1/26/us-space-command-to-leverage-ai-to-maintain-digital-superiority



USAF reveals nearly quarter of Jayhawk fleet seriously damaged by hail

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/usaf-reveals-nearly-quarter-of-jayhawk-fleet-seriously-damaged-by-hail



AI-Enabled Drone Shows US Army It Can Localize Targets

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/26/ssci-ai-enabled-drone/



Creeping weight of Abrams tank concerns Pentagon’s chief weapons tester

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/01/26/creeping-weight-of-abrams-tank-concerns-pentagons-chief-weapons-tester/



This is my Marine Corps robot, there are many like it but this one is mine

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2021/01/27/this-is-my-marine-corps-robot-there-are-many-like-it-but-this-one-is-mine/



New Pentagon Missile Defense "Kill Vehicle" May Destroy Multiple ICBMs

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/air/new-pentagon-missile-defense-kill-vehicle-may-destroy-multiple-icbms-Xyeiwn7k9k-RSAPBdDbzRQ



Army Eyes Unmanned Launcher Trucks Able To Fire Missiles Loaded With Swarming Munitions

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38938/army-eyes-unmanned-launcher-trucks-able-to-fire-missiles-loaded-with-swarming-munitions



Air Force finishes structural upgrades to 247 F-22s

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/01/27/Air-Force-finishes-structural-upgrades-to-247-F-22s/7391611778363/



Drone Swarms Are Getting Too Fast For Humans To Fight, U.S. General Warns

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2021/01/27/drone-swarms-are-getting-too-fast-for-humans-too-fight-us-general-warns/



Railgun, HVP offer cheaper counters to new threats, USN says

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/railgun-hvp-offer-cheaper-counters-to-new-threats-usn-says



BAE, Lockheed contracted to improve F-35 radio countermeasures

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/01/27/BAE-Lockheed-contracted-to-improve-F-35-radio-countermeasures/5231611772312/



New Research Method Detects Underwater Drones in Noisy Surroundings

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/27/method-detect-underwater-drones/



Watch This Wild Ride Through the Guts of a Secret Submarine

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a35325573/watch-dutch-submarine-drone-tour/



With Columbia revving up, General Dynamics expects submarines to be a cash cow

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2021/01/27/with-columbia-revving-up-general-dynamics-expects-submarines-to-be-a-cash-cow/



Columbia-class subs struggle with software trouble, GAO says

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/navy/2021/01/columbia-class-subs-struggle-with-software-trouble-gao-says/



Navy Sticks With LCS Despite Propulsion Troubles; Lockheed Races To Make Fixes

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/01/navy-sticks-with-lcs-despite-engine-troubles-lockheed-races-to-make-fixes/