Video - Russian Senator Olga Kovitidi: Nobody Will Be Able to Beat Us When It Comes to a Ground Offensive.

US returned 73 Persian artifacts to Iran after years of follow-ups by Iran's cultural heritage officials.

US returned 73 Persian artifacts to Iran after years of follow-ups by Iran's cultural heritage officials. (AA).

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Sunday that 73 ancient artifacts belonged to Iran have been safely returened from the United States to their homeland.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari made the announcement on Sunday.

"After consultations, 73 valuable ancient artifacts belonging to the Sassanid period were returned to the Islamic Republic of Iran by the US government," he said.

"The valuable ancient cargo was delivered to the National Museum of Iran on Sunday afternoon in a ceremony attended by the foreign ministry representative," Jaberi Ansari added.

In recent years, Iran has been successful in returning home its stolen belongings, including artifacts and ancient objects.

Back in April 2015, Iran received 108 ancient artifacts known as the Chogha Mish Collections from the US University of Chicago, marking the second successful return of Iranian artifacts in less than a year.

Also in 2013, Washington returned a Persian artifact to Iran after 10 years of consultations.

The 2,700-year-old Persian silver drinking cup cast in the form of a griffin was returned to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as a token of good will while he visited the US to participate in the 68th Annual Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The ancient griffin had been in the US since 2003 when an art dealer smuggled it into the US.

Najafi, who is also the head of the cultural heritage and tourism organization, said the US State Department returned the artifact as a sign of good faith in a bid to improve cultural relations between Tehran and Washington.

Najafi said American authorities told him the ancient artifact was seized at a US airport from an Arab antique dealer in 2003.

The US officials believe the relic dates back to 700 years before Christ when the Achaemenid Empire ruled Persia.Hmmm......Don't tell me they decided this as well on the way to the airport?
This was decided even before Rouhani spoke at the UN !!!

Some pictures of 73 ancient pieces dating back to the Sassanid era. #US has given them back to #Iran recently. pic.twitter.com/ko0ERj1dZN

— Abas Aslani (@abasinfo) May 9, 2016

Lavrov: Russia May Consider Iran's Request on Buying Tanks, Military Jets.

Lavrov: Russia May Consider Iran's Request on Buying Tanks, Military Jets.(SP).

Deliveries of S-300 air defense systems to Iran will be completed by year-end, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Sputnik.

"I believe they [deliveries] are likely to be completed this year," Lavrov said.

"The number [of S-300s] is in strict accordance with the contract. Frankly, I'm afraid of giving the wrong information now, I simply cannot remember [the exact number]. But the number is absolutely adequate in terms of Iran ensuring its legitimate security interests and protecting its airspace," he added.

"Now, by the way, bans on providing Iran with certain types of weapons — tanks, armored personnel carriers and combat aircraft — have been lifted and transferred to a permissive mode. So Iran can voice interest in these types of weapons. If we receive any requests, we will, of course, consider them," Lavrov said.

"I will repeat that the S-300s are not covered by any restrictions, neither are many types of small arms and light weapons. Therefore, all possibilities are open here. As for the permissive mode, which requires UN Security Council approval, if and when Iran expresses an interest in acquiring any of these items, the appropriate procedures will be implemented," he added. Read the full story here.

New Banking channels will allow Iran to access $6bn of India’s oil debts to Iran.

New Banking channels will allow Iran to access $6bn of India’s oil debts to Iran. (Iranfrontpagenews).

Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh said Iran and India are discussing setting up banking channels which will allow the Central Bank of Iran to access $6bn of India’s oil debts to Iran.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Iran-India business conference at Tehran Chamber of Commerce on Saturday evening, Zangeneh told reporters that Tehran and New Delhi are in talks to add two more banking channels to the current one so that access can be granted to $6bn of Iran’s oil money in Indian banks.

“The Indian side has announced it would immediately repay its debts to Iran once the channel is open,” the official said.

He also said that India has stopped repaying its oil debts to Iran in goods supply.

Asked how the debts will be paid to the CBI, he said they will be paid in euros, not in goods.

Regarding the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to India, Zangeneh said no understanding has been made in this regard between the two Asian countries, and the Indian side must study the case and present its assessments to Iran.

Iran can export oil to India whether through pipelines or in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos.

Petrochemical Sector

He said Indian developers have indicated their keenness to finance petrochemical projects in Iran, and that the latter has agreed to supply their plants with petrochemical feedstock in return.

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

Iran to Unveil New Military Achievements Wednesday, new 'Karrar' tank to be unveiled in coming months.

Iran to Unveil New Military Achievements Wednesday, new 'Karrar' tank to be unveiled in coming months. (Fars).

Iran's Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan announced that the country will unveil new home-made state-of-the-art military products on the occasion of the Army Day (April 17) on Wednesday.

"The Ground Force's new achievements will be unveiled on April 13," Pourdastan told reporters in Tehran on Monday.

He said that the country's experts have built new military equipment, including the 57-mm self-propelled wheeled air defense system 'Bahman' which can be used in proxy wars, 5-ton 'Kian' military vehicle, 'Shahram' mobile nuclear detection lab, adding that "all these achievements will be unveiled on April 13".

Pourdastan also stated that a large number of optimized Chieftain tanks, sniper guns and different light and heavy vehicles are due to be delivered to the Army units.

Asked about the time for unveiling the new Iranian battle tank, 'Karrar', he said, "The tank will be unveiled this or next month and will be used by the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces."

Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari announced earlier that his forces have been equipped with the home-made state-of-the-art tanks named 'Karrar' with features similar to the Russian T-90 tanks.

"Karrar tanks have been delivered to the combat units of the Ground Force," General Heidari told reporters in March.

He also underlined plans to mount new, advanced and state-of-the-art systems on Karrar and Zolfaqar tanks.

Asked about the Ground Force's achievements in building anti-armored systems, General Heidari said, "We have modern and state-of-the-art equipment which can be used in proxy wars."

"The defense industry designed and built the battle tank from scratch. If not better, it's still as deadly as the Russian T-90," Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said in an interview with the state-run TV last month.

He said "Karrar" stands among the most modern battle tanks in the world.

Saudi Arabian Defense Min Prince Mohammad bin Salman will visit Russia this week.

Saudi Arabian Defense Min Prince Mohammad bin Salman will visit Russia this week. (RBTH).

Saudi Arabia’s defense minister is likely to meet Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The energy giants look to revive bilateral ties that have been sagging since they began supporting opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman will visit Russia this week, sources told Kommersant. The visit should help unblock relations between the two countries, which have been frozen because of their opposing positions on Syria. Sources say that preparations are on for a meeting between the prince and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir will most likely join Prince Mohammed at a Russia-Saudi Arabia business meeting held within the framework of the St Petersburg forum.
 
Prince Mohammed and the Saudi delegation's visit had been shrouded in silence until the very last moment, with officials in Moscow refusing to comment on any speculation. Meanwhile, foreign journalists accredited in Moscow went to St. Petersburg in advance to report on the Saudi delegation's visit, which promises to be one of the forum's main talking points.

Moscow has been one of the main backers of the ruling regime in Damascus, while Riyadh has been trying to topple Bashar Al-Assad. “This led to the freezing of relations. However, today, it seems, the ice has been broken,” Dudarev says.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the officials accompanying him are not the only delegates from Riyadh visiting Russia this week. Saudi military officials participated in the Army 2015 International Military Technical Forum that is taking place in Kubinka. Citing a source in the Saudi delegation, TASS wrote that the Saudi military wishes to discuss the purchase of the Russian Iskander-E tactical ballistic missile systems. Hmmm.....And then of course there's 'Money...money...money'. Read the full story here.

Official: Iran Self-Sufficient in Building Light Submarines, unveil new one soon.

Official: Iran Self-Sufficient in Building Light Submarines. (fars).

A senior Iranian military official announced the country's self-sufficiency in building light submarines, adding that Iran plans to unveil new submarines soon.

There are three classes of submarines, Head of the Navy's Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Office General Ali Gholamzadeh said on Wednesday, adding that Iran has attained self-sufficiency in building “light” submarines.

He also said that Iran will unveil a home-made semi-heavy submarine in the coming months, and announced, "We are designing and building heavy and semi-heavy submarines, and the Fateh (Conqueror) submarine will be unveiled this (Iranian calendar) year (ending March 20, 2015),”

Also last month, Gholamzadeh announced the country's plans to launch Fateh submarines and different Mowj Class destroyers in the near future.

"We will soon launch the Fateh class submarines and the second, third, fourth and fifth version of Mowj class destroyers, and one of them will be unveiled this year," he said in a press conference in Tehran.

Asked if Iran is capable of building heavier and bigger destroyers than its first home-made destroyer, 'Jamaran', he said, "Now that we have acquired the know-how to build destroyers, there is no doubt that we can construct destroyers better than Jamaran."

Gholamzadeh said Damavand destroyer is more equipped than Jamaran, although Jamaran itself has also been equipped with a number of Damavand's equipment, including 'Asr' radar system.

He also announced that the construction of Fateh, a semi-heavy submarine with abundant possibilities, has ended, and the vessel is now under tests. (Ready for Christmas shopping)

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced in August that the country had gained the capability to launch production line of destroyers, and also announced plans to launch a new submarine in the near future.

"Today, the Navy has acquired the capability to launch the production line of destroyers and our project for building destroyers has started at the order of the Supreme Leader since a while ago and we are witnessing newer and more updated achievements in this project now," Sayyari told reporters in Tehran.

He said that Iran's new destroyer named Sahand is 30% more advanced than the country's first destroyer, Jamaran.

Sayyari also said that Iran would launch its new submarine, Fateh, on the Navy Day (November 28).

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Sayyari in July announced the Iranian Navy's plans to launch one of its advanced home-made destroyers, named Damavand, in the country's territorial waters in the near future.

"Destroyer Damavand will join the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy in the near future," Sayyari told FNA.

Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.

Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.

Video - Iran’s Defense Ministry today unveiled a new air defense system, named Herz-9.

“Iran is among a few leading world countries producing such an air defense system domestically. This mobile air defense system is more advanced and capable than our previous air defense models,” said Iran’s defense minister, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi. “The battery can be activated within a matter of minutes,” he added. Vahidi said the air defense system is able to detect and track targets at low altitudes and automatically hit them.HT: UskowiOnIran. More photo's here.

Iran triples installation of uranium enrichment centrifuges, No Agreement Reached with IAEA for New Talks.

Iran triples installation of uranium enrichment centrifuges, No Agreement Reached with IAEA for New Talks.(UOI).(TWT).Iranian technicians have tripled the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges they have installed over the past three months to 600, diplomats warned Wednesday.

The high-tech machines aren’t yet producing enrichment uranium, the diplomats said in a CBS report, and some are only partly installed. But the report is worrisome, in that it is another sign of Iran’s move to develop nuclear weaponry, as the West fears.

Iran continues to deny its nuclear program is for anything but peaceful purposes. Just this week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad characterized Iran as the peacemaker in the region and decried Western attempts to argue differently.

Iran has dismissed reports about an agreement reached by Tehran and the IAEA for a new round of talks, Press TV reported today. An official source close to the Iranian negotiating team told Press TV on Friday that no agreement had been reached.

On Thursday, the Associated Press quoted anonymous diplomatic sources as saying that Iran and the IAEA had agreed to hold new talks in mid-May. The two sides last met in Tehran in mid-February. IAEA’s ability to inspect a suspected nuclear unit within Parchin military complex has been the sticking issue, with Iran insisting that such visit should be part of a comprehensive settlement with the country over its nuclear program.Read the full story here and here.

Video - Iran unveils new military equipment, including drones.

Video - Iran unveils new military equipment, including drones.(TI).

A military parade is underway in Tehran on Thursday in connection with the Day of the Iranian Armed Forces, Iranian news agency FARS reported. All units of the Iranian Armed Forces, Sepah corps, land forces and military aviation are participating at the parade. It is taking place in front of the mausoleum of Iranian former spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

Azem 2, and Mohajer B drones are unveiled during the military parade, Mehr News Agency reported.

As IRNA reported, Iran also unveiled another new generation drone, Hazem 3 during the parade.

Iran demonstrated Ya-Zahra 3, Mersahd 2 air defence systems, as well as Sayyad 40 electronic interception system.

Earlier Iran manufactured two kinds of drones - Ababil and Shahed-129.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, a number of military commanders and heads of diplomatic missions are watching the parade.

According to the report, warplanes will participate at the parade.

New armored personnel carriers, a new helicopter simulator, as well as achievements in military telecommunications will be demonstrated at the parade in connection with the Day of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Iranian media outlets reported that Iran unveiled four kinds of drones including radar-evading Sarir unmanned aerial vehicle, Azem 2, and Mohajer B and Hazem 3 at the parade.

Fars News Agency reported that Sarir is long-range flight anti-radioation drone.

Update: A military parade is underway in Tehran on Thursday in connection with the Day of the Iranian Armed Forces, Iranian news agency FARS reported.

Azem 2, and Mohajer B drones are unveiled during the military parade, Mehr News Agency reported.

As IRNA reported, Iran also unveiled another new generation drone, Hazem 3 during the parade.

Iran demonstrated Ya-Zahra 3, Mersahd 2 air defence systems, as well as Sayyad 40 electronic interception system. Earlier Iran manufactured two kinds of drones - Ababil and Shahed-129.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, a number of military commanders and heads of diplomatic missions are watching the parade.

According to the report, warplanes will participate at the parade.

New armored personnel carriers, a new helicopter simulator, as well as achievements in military telecommunications will be demonstrated at the parade in connection with the Day of the Iranian Armed Forces.Read and see the full story here, video and photos.

Iran test-fires new anti-ship ballistic missile in Persian Gulf waters.

Iran test-fires new anti-ship ballistic missile in Persian Gulf waters.(TI).Iran's armed forces has test-fired a new anti-ship ballistic missile in the Persian Gulf waters, Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Majid Bokaei said on Tuesday. According to Bokaei, the projectile can pinpoint targets at sea with high precision, the IRNA News Agency reported.

He also noted that once fired, the missile leaves the atmosphere, and hits enemy warships on return.

All enemy vessels left the area near Iran's maritime border, after the missile was tested, Bokaei added.

The official went on to say that the new projectile is a modified version of a ground-to-ground missile.Read the full story here.More here.

Iran unveils indigenously-optimized Zolfaqar, Samsam tanks,

Iran unveils indigenously-optimized Zolfaqar, Samsam tanks.(TI).The Islamic Republic of Iran has unveiled the optimized versions of two indigenously-designed and -manufactured tanks, named Zolfaqar and Samsam, Press TV reported.
Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said that Iran's newly unveiled optimized home-made tank has higher capabilities compared with Russian T-72 main battle tanks. "Today, Zolfaqar has outpaced T-72 tanks in some specifications after it was optimized in various aspects," Pourdastan said in a ceremony to unveil two optimized versions of home-made tanks. The tanks, which have been upgraded by military experts in the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, were unveiled on Monday as part of the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations commemorating the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan as well as several other high-ranking military officials attended the unveiling ceremony of the tanks.
Earlier on January 15, Pourdastan said that the fire control system and the stabilizer of the new version of the Zolfaqar tank have been upgraded, adding that the tank will be mass-produced after receiving the approval of the office of the chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces.The tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret of local design. Zolfaqar combat weight is reported to be 36 tons and has a 780 hp diesel engine; the tank has a 21.7 hp per ton ratio. The automatic loader is believed to be the same one from the T-72 tank.
Iran's Zolfaqar tank has a distinctive steel-welded turret and is operated by a crew of three.
The tank is armed with a 125mm smoothbore 2A46 gun, which is fitted with a fume extractor. Its secondary armament consists of a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7mm machine gun.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.Read the full story here.

No, this can't be true?An Iranian tank with a radiator grill in front?

Iranian Army to Unveil Optimized Home-Made Tanks Tomorrow.

Iranian Army to Unveil Optimized Home-Made Tanks Tomorrow.(Fars).The Iranian army plans to unveil optimized versions of home-made tanks in a special ceremony due to be held tomorrow.The army will display an optimized version of Zolfaqar and Samsam tanks on the occasion of the Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies, celebrating the victory of the Islamic Revolution back in 1979.
Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan and a number of other high-ranking military officials will attend the ceremony.
In January, Pourdastan had announced that the tank's fire control system and stabilizer have been optimized.
He said at the time that the new version of Zolfaqar has gone under comparison with one of the most advanced battle tanks manufactured by the Eastern powers and has shown increasingly higher capabilities.
Iran will start mass-production of the tank after the approval of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, the Army Ground Force Commander said.
Yesterday, Iran unveiled a new home-made fighter jet, named Qaher 313.
The advanced Iranian aircraft was unveiled in a special ceremony attended by President Ahmadinejad.
Iran has also taken wide strides in designing and manufacturing different types of light, semi-heavy and heavy weapons, military tools and equipment. Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.
Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country. Read the full story here.

"Thanks" - Iran says it can make copy of captured CIA drone.

"Thanks" - Iran says it can make copy of captured CIA drone.(HD).A senior Iranian lawmaker says Tehran can now manufacture a copy of an advanced CIA spy drone captured last year. Avaz Heidarpour, who sits on parliament’s national security committee, says experts have reverse-engineered the RQ-170 Sentinel craft and Iran now is capable of launching a production line for the unmanned aircraft. His remarks were posted on the parliament’s website, icana.ir, on Wednesday. Iranian officials frequently announce technological and military breakthroughs, most of which are impossible to confirm independently. Heidarpour’s comment comes two days after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it decoded all data from the drone that went down in December 2011 near Iran’s eastern border with Afghanistan. Last week, the Guard claimed it captured another U.S. drone after it entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf.Hmmm......Why did Obama refuse to auto destruct the drone?Read the full story here.

Israel may strike at ship allegedly carrying Iranian rockets to Gaza.

Israel may strike at ship allegedly carrying Iranian rockets to Gaza.(RT).Israel has reportedly vowed to destroy rockets and other weapons being sent to Gaza by Iran. Tel Aviv issued this threat despite a recent ceasefire following eight days of bitter conflict between Gaza and Israel. Israeli spy satellites spotted a cargo vessel in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas that was allegedly Gaza-bound and carrying arms, the Sunday Times reported. “Regardless of the ceasefire agreement, we will attack and destroy any shipment of arms to Gaza once we have spotted it,” an Israeli defense official told the newspaper.
The vessel reportedly began its voyage last week just as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire ending eight days of violence in Gaza, in which over 150 Palestinians died. The cargo is believed to include Fajr-5 rockets, similar to those used by Hamas in the conflict, and Shahab-3 ballistic missiles. The ship is set to travel through the Red Sea, Sudan and Egypt, according to the Sunday Times report. The newspaper also cited Israeli officials speculating that Iran could be moving longer-range ballistic missiles into Sudan, which could be aimed at Israel from the African country. The Sunday Times’ report comes a day after the Hamas leadership announced they aren’t ready to stop arming themselves, despite the recently-agreed truce and ceasefire. "We have no choice but to continue to bring in weapons by all possible means," senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told reporters, adding that he expected Tehran would "increase its military and financial support to Hamas." Earlier on Wednesday, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal thanked Shia-majority Iran for what he described as arms and funding. On Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed support for Gaza in the bloody conflict, praising what he called Palestinian "resistance and perseverance" against Israel, which he said must now "bow" to Palestinian rights, IRNA news agency reported.Hmmmm........Destination.......EGYPT?Read the full story here.More here.

PHOTO - Iran successfully tests Koker-1 VTOL drone.

PHOTO - Iran successfully tests Koker-1 VTOL drone.(TI).Iran has successfully tested its first vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone, dubbed "Koker-1", and will officially unveil it on the Kish Island in the next calendar month of Azar (Nov. 22-Dec. 20), the Mehr News Agency reported. The drone reportedly uses ultra-advanced technology and has been manufactured in Iran for the first time. The "Koker-1" drone does not require runways at all and can take off and land vertically, experts say. It is capable to fly continuously for three hours within a radius of 170 kilometers at 12,000 feet height in different climatic conditions. According to earlier reports, Iranian experts have also built another radar-evading drone, named "Liko", with the capacity of carrying 100 kg of cargo for 100 kilometers. "Liko" is also capable of non-stop flights for three hours. The 53-kg UAV can fly at an altitude of 16,000 feet and requires the shortest landing runway length. Iran's first indigenous long-range drone "Karrar" was unveiled in August 2010. "Karrar" is capable of carrying a military payload of rockets to carry out bombing missions against ground targets, flying long distances at a very high speed, and gathering information.Read the full story here.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin: "Russian 'Super-Holding' to Build Hypersonic Missile."

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin: "Russian 'Super-Holding' to Build Hypersonic Missile."(RN).Russia will set up an aerospace "super-holding" company consisting of missile makers NPO Mashinostroyenie and Tactical Missiles Corporation to develop hypersonic weapon technology, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday. "Initially, we are talking about a big 'super-holding' based on Tactical Missiles Corporation and NPO Mashinostroyenie," said Rogozin, who oversees Russia's military-industrial complex.
Discussions on the creation of such a super-holding have been underway at least six months, Rogozin said. "We have found an acceptable solution on how to form this super-holding," he said. "The main idea for this holding is hypersonic technology." Development of hypersonic weapons - meaning those capable of flying at several times the speed of sound, generally with scramjet engines - has been a pet theme of Rogozin. In May, during a visit to Tactical Missiles Corporation's NPO Raduga missile design bureau, Rogozin called on Russia's defense industry to develop hypersonic air-breathing weapons as a future strike system. He picked out American development work in the X-51, Falcon, HiFire and HyFly programs as examples of what he described as the perspective threat posed by U.S. hypersonic development work. "The undertaking of this work allows us to lay the basis for the creation of a national competitor in hypersonic weapons," he said.
He has since frequently repeated his call for hypersonic weapons to be developed as a replacement for the Russian Air Force's existing long-range bomber fleet. "I think we need to go down the route of hypersonic technology and we are moving in that direction and are not falling behind the Americans," he said on Rossiya 24 TV in August.

"We will use this technology when developing a new bomber." "The question is whether we will copy the Americans' forty-year experience and create a [Northrop] B-2 analog...or will we go down a new, ultramodern technology route, looking to the horizon, and create a machine able to penetrate air defenses and carry out a strike on any aggressor," he added. 

Aerospace analysts contacted by RIA Novosti say hypersonic technology is more likely to be relevant to an air-launched weapon itself, rather than a manned aircraft. Tactical Missiles Corporation, based in Korolyov, Moscow Region, was formed in 2002 by amalgamating a number of defense design and production enterprises, of which the main ones were Korolyov-based Zvezda-Strela (tactical air-to-surface missiles), Moscow-based Vympel (tactical air-to-air missiles), NPO Raduga (cruise missile design), and Region (tactical air-launched weapons). NPO Mashinostroyenie, based at Reutov just west of Moscow, has designed and produced most of the Russian Navy's submarine-launched cruise missiles as well as satellites and other space systems, and has previously conducted extensive research into hypersonic weapons technology, including making a prototype hypersonic air-launched missile called GELA. NPO Mashinostroyenie is also the Russian partner in the BrahMos joint venture with India to develop the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, based on the Russian 3M55 Oniks. BrahMos has said it is developing a hypersonic successor system to its existing supersonic missiles in partnership with India.Hmmmm......."A man with a vision".Read the full story here.

Russia's Putin calls for Stalin-style "leap forward".

                                               Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin


Russia's Putin calls for Stalin-style "leap forward".(Yahoo).NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters) - Russia needs a "leap forward" to rejuvenate its sprawling defense industry, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, harkening back to the ambitious industrialization carried out by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in the run-up to World War Two. "We should carry out the same powerful, all-embracing leap forward in modernization of the defense industry as the one carried out in the 1930s," Putin told his Security Council, without mentioning Stalin by name.
Stalin, who ruled the Soviet empire with an iron fist for 27 years, is blamed for the death of about six million people but also is praised by many Russians for winning the war and industrializing the country. Putin made renewed industrialization a priority during his third term in the Kremlin which started in May amid the largest protests of his 12-year rule. He conceded that the defense industry, once the heart of the Soviet economy, was in tatters. "Unfortunately, many of our enterprises are technologically stuck in the previous century," Putin said, complaining about poor discipline at plants working on state defense orders.
In the 1930s Soviet leaders transformed a rural country devastated by civil war into an industrial superpower, using terror and executions to impose strict discipline at new plants built across the vast country.
Putin's top defense industry official Dmitry Rogozin posted on his Facebook page a copy of a 1940 letter from Stalin to gun factory managers and accompanied it with a sarcastic warning: "Such methods of improving discipline also exist". 
Stalin's letter to the managers said: "I give you two or three days to launch mass production of machinegun cartridges... If production does not start on time, the government will take over control of the plant and shoot all the rascals there." "Of course, it was a joke," Rozogin told reporters regarding his posting but added that failures would not be tolerated.
"Our satellites are falling, our ships are sinking, we had seven space failures in the last 18 months but not a single plant felt the consequences," he said after the council session. "The culprits should come on stage. The country should know them." Putin plans to spend $680 billion in the next eight years to modernize the military, with the bulk of the money going to 1,350 defense plants which employ about 2 million Russians. Many defense sector workers backed Putin during the election.Hmmmm.......As i said before "Dimitry Rogozin...A man with a vision".Read the full story here.