isssp monthly international strategic...

ISSSP Monthly

International Strategic Review

Nuclear I Maritime I Space I Delivery Platforms

Vol. 4, Issue. 3 March 2017

National Institute of Advanced Studies

International Strategic & Security Studies Programme (ISSSP)

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About International Strategic & Security Studies Programme (ISSSP)

The ISSSP is one of the oldest, active and vibrant groups within the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS). Started in 1996 with a broad objective of pursuing academic and policy research related to national and international security issues, today the ISSSP has a national and global reputation on those issues it is engaged with.

With a right mix of senior scholars, full time faculty, doctoral and post doctoral fellows and young research associates the ISSSP is one of the largest programme as well within the NIAS.

In terms of research and related activities the ISSSP is sui generis. The primary emphasis of the ISSSP research is towards integrating complex elements of science and technology with policy, organizational and institutional arrangements


February 2017

India’s New Record: One Rocket, 104 Satellites

February 2017 was a busy month for Space related activities in China, North Korea, Iran and India.

China’s DF-5C ballistic missile test with 10 MIRVs in early February was viewed as “intimidation signals” by the US, especially considering the tense situation in the South China Sea. The PLA also released a video of its Rocket Force conduct-ing an exercise with DF-16 medium range ballistic missile, which, with a range of 1,000 km, can easily target several countries in China’s neighbourhood in-cluding the US military assets in Japan. Several reports in the Chinese official media hinted on the PLA stepping up preparedness for a possible military con-flict with the US as Trump signalled to follow more hard-line policy to counter China’s claims on the disputed South China Sea.

DPRK test fired an intermediate range ballistic missile into its eastern waters, violating UN Security Council’s resolutions banning testing of any ballistic mis-sile technology. Musudan, the missile that was tested, has a range of 3000-4000 km covering entire Japan and the US military base in Guam. Also, com-mercial satellite imagery indicates a possible nuclear test in the near future.

The US sanctions seem to have failed to curb Iran’s development of missile technology. Iran came under fire from the Trump administration after it con-firmed a ballistic missile test. The US administration imposed sanctions against 13 people and companies connected to Iran. Iran launched a surface to air mis-sile days after the new US sanctions and followed it up by a successful launch of their latest cruise missile.

Pakistan during February claimed India has built a nuclear city. Its Foreign Spokesperson, Nafees Zakaria said India has been conducting tests on inter-continental missile and has accumulated a stockpile of nuclear weapon under-mining the strategic balance of power in the region. A Chinese TV report, quot-ing a former Chinese Engineer mentioned about the transfer of nuclear tech-nology by China to Pakistan. This Chinese report only reconfirms earlier refer-ences on the subject by other international resources on the issue of transfer of nuclear and missile technology to Pakistan by China.

But the real highlight in February was India setting a new record by launching 104 satellites on single rocket. The ISRO has been consistently in the news mak-ing great strides with the most cost effective Mars mission in the world and its indigenously built cryogenic engine. Besides, the eleventh edition of Aero India was held at Air Force Station, Bengaluru from 14 to 18 Feb 2017, making way for new international collaborations for India. One of the most significant an-nouncements at Aero India was the National Laboratories Limited (NAL)’s pro-posal to revive three aircraft programmes- Saras aircraft, 70 seater aircraft pro-gramme and the NM5-100.

Kaveri Ashok, Mrunalini Deshpande & RIffath Khaji

Editors, ISR

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Contents

China

DPRK

Iran

Pakistan

India

Nuclear

CNBC, 09 February, 2017

China’s nuclear missile policy put under strain by US plan

A decision by the United States to pursue a new breed of nuclear weapons could push China to reconsider its decades-long atomic policy, according to experts. The U.S. Defence Department recently received a recommendation that the government develop tactical nuclear weapons with "low yield" results that can be deployed within smaller battle-field areas. Tong Zhao, an associate in the Carnegie Endowment's Nuclear Pol-icy Program based in Beijing, told CNBC that this more flexible form of weapon would lower the threshold of nuclear use. "This will be seen by China as evi-dence of U.S. contemplating first use of nuclear weapons in a future crisis and will encourage China to consider pursu-

March 2017, Vol.4, No.3

ISSSP Monthly

International Strategic Review Nuclear I Space I Delivery Platforms

Vol. 4, Issue. 3

March 2017

CHINA

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ing similar capabilities that may under-mine the no-first-use policy," he said in an email. China's "no-first-use policy" means Beijing only demands the capability to ensure the launch of a nuclear missile, after being hit first by an enemy nuclear strike. (China’s nuclear missile policy put under strain by US plan, CNBC, 09 Febru-ary, 2017, http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/09/chinas-nuclear-missile-policy-put-under-strain-by-us-plan.html)

Delivery Vehicles: Missile

China's Rocket Force Holds Exercise with New Ballistic Missile

According to NDTV, China's newly-formed Rocket Force has conducted an exercise with advanced DF-16 medium-range ballis-tic missile that has a range of over 1,000 km and could target a number of coun-tries in the neighbourhood, including In-dia. Significantly the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is secretive about its weapons systems, has released a video of the recent exercise of its troops employ-ing the advanced Dongfeng-16 medium-

range ballistic missile. First displayed at a military parade in Beijing in 2015, the mis-sile is believed to have a range of 1,000 kilometres, putting it within striking dis-tance of Okinawa, home to several US military installations in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Rocket Force is a special contingent to handle range of missiles in its military's arsenal. Several 10-wheeled mobile launch vehicles carrying the ballistic mis-siles were seen in the footage released to show the training of Rocket Force missile brigade soldiers around the Spring Festi-val holiday. The participating units han-dled a number of scenarios, including chemical/biological contamination, coun-tering satellite reconnaissance and elec-tronic jamming, state-run China Daily re-ported today.

The crews practiced in multiple manoeu-vres, such as rapid loading, redeployment and launch sequence, though the video showed no missile actually being launched. Two types of DF-16 appeared in the exercise. The video represents the third time the DF-16 has been shown to the public. Though the PLA has never dis-closed its ballistic missiles' specifications, experts said the DF-16 poses a challenge to foreign military installations along the first island chain, which is what the Chi-nese military calls the series of islands that stretch from Japan in the north to Taiwan and the Philippines to the south, the report said. (China's Rocket Force Holds Exercise with New Ballistic Missile, NDTV, 07 February, 2017, http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/chinas-rocket-force-holds-exercise-with-new-ballistic-missile-1656644)

Russia may supply ten Su-35 fighter jets


Source: NDTV

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to China in 2017

The second batch of 10 Su-35 fighter jets will be delivered to China this year and the other 10 aircraft in 2018, a source in the field of military and technical cooperation with foreign states told TASS. "The first four vehicles were supplied in late last year and the second batch of 10 jets will be delivered to the customer this year," the source said. The Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has de-clined to comment on the report. In No-vember 2016, Deputy Director of the Fed-eral Service for Military-Technical Coop-eration Vladimir Drozhzhov told TASS that Russia had started meeting its commit-ments under the contract with China for the delivery of the fighter jets.

Russia and China signed a contract in No-vember 2015 for the delivery of 24 Su-35 fighter jets. The three-year deal for the supplies of aircraft, ground equipment and spare engines is estimated at $2 bil-lion. The Su-35 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-E) is a highly upgraded 4++-generation super-manoeuvrable multipur-pose fighter jet incorporating fifth-generation technologies. Its maximum speed is 2,500 km/h, flying range is 3,400 km, and combat radius - around 1,600 km. (Russia may supply ten Su-35 fighter jets to China in 2017, TASS, 02 February, 2017, http://tass.com/defense/928577)

China to sell new short-range missile to foreign countries

According to Zee News, China plans to sell to foreign countries its new short-range air-to-surface missile which can be mounted on drones and is designed for anti-terrorism operations. The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, the country's largest military drone ex-porter by number of products sold over-seas, said it recently conducted live-fire tests on the AR-2 short-range air-to-surface missile in northwestern China. The AR-2 is seen as tough competition for US, French and Israeli missiles.

With a weight of about 20 kilograms and a 5 kilograms warhead, an AR-2 has a maximum range of 8 km and a top speed of 735 km per hour. It is effective against personnel, armoured cars, houses or bunkers, its designers said. A CH-4 recon-naissance/combat drone was used in the tests, though the missile can also be mounted on other CH drones, officials said. The academy's CH-series drones have been sold to military users in over 10 countries, it said. The missile also can be carried by Chinese attack helicopters and other unmanned aircraft after minor technical modifications, they said. Zeng Like, the project manager for the AR-2, said that the academy hopes to win mar-ket share from the United States' AGM-114 Hellfire, widely used in the 1990s and 2000s.

At least 29 nations, including Australia, France, and South Korea, deploy the Hell-fire. "There are a lot of counter-terrorism operations and low-intensity conflicts in the world that create a huge demand for low-cost, high-efficiency weapons to hit cars or light-duty, armored vehicles," he Source: TASS


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said. "We believe that most ground tar-gets designated for drones are soft tar-gets or lightly armoured vehicles, so using a heavier missile such as the AGM-114 Hell-fire for such operations is a waste," Like said. Smaller, cheaper missiles like the AR-2 are powerful enough to handle those targets, and their lighter weight enables a drone to carry more missiles, Zeng said.

The AR-2's biggest competitors are the US' AGM-176 Griffin, currently the best-selling lightweight precision-strike weapon, France's Lightweight Multirole Missile and Israel's Whip Shot missile, he said. But, Zeng said, "the AR-2 features strong capabilities and a lower price, so we are positive it will have good market prospects". The academy also said train-ees from one of its foreign clients per-formed a test in which four CH drones were networked to perform as a fleet. It, however, has not named the foreign cli-ent. Ground controllers from the un-named foreign nation who were trained at the academy guided four CH-4B drones via satellite to work together in a patrol. (China to sell new short-range missile to foreign countries, Zee News, February, 2017,

http://zeenews.india.com/world/china-to-sell-new-short-range-missile-to-foreign-countries_1973142.html)

China Tests Missile with 10 Warheads

China flight tested a new variant of a long-range missile with 10 warheads in what defence officials say represents a dramatic shift in Beijing's strategic nu-clear posture. The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out earlier this month using 10 multiple independently targe-table re-entry vehicles, or MIRVs. The test of the inert warheads was monitored closely by U.S. intelligence agencies, said two officials familiar with reports of the missile test.

The missile was fired from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in central China and flew to an impact range in the western Chinese desert. No other details about the test could be learned. Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Gary Ross suggested in a statement the test was monitored. "The [Defense Department] routinely monitors Chinese military developments and accounts for PLA capabilities in our defense plans," Ross told the Washing-

Source: GB Times


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ton Free Beacon. (China Tests Missile with 10 Warheads, Washington Free Beacon, 31 January, 2017, http://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-tests-missile-10-warheads/)

Delivery Vehicles: Aircraft

No updates

Delivery Vehicles: Submarine

No updates

Space

China to launch new Long March 8 rocket by end of 2018

According to gb times, China is aiming to launch a new Long March 8 rocket by the end of 2018 to fill a gap in the country's carrier rocket capabilities and commercial launch prospects, a top space official has said. The Long March 8 will use engines and other design aspects developed for the recently debuted Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets. The Long March 8 will be capable of sending a payload of about 7.6 metric tonnes to low Earth or-bit, 4.5 tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit, or 2.5 tonnes to geosynchronous transfer orbit. The Long March 8 core stage will be 3.35m in diameter, as with the Long March 3 series and new Long March 7, and will utilise two 2m diameter solid-propelled boosters, according to Li. China's existing and proposed Long March launch vehicles, including LM-8 (third left) (CALT).

The use of solid-fuelled strap-on boosters for a Long March rocket would be a first for the Chinese space programme, though CALT has developed the solid-fuelled Long

March 11. The development time will be around three years and, if all goes well, its maiden flight will take place "by the end of 2018". The use of the Long March 8 will extensively reduce the launch costs of low- and middle-orbit satellites, giving it bright prospects in the commercial launch market. Long March 8 would boost carrying capacity for launching sat-ellites to Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) and polar orbits, which is currently around 2 tonnes. (China to launch new Long March 8 rocket by end of 2018, Gb Times, 27 February, 2017, http://gbtimes.com/china/china-launch-new-long-march-8-rocket-end-2018)

Other Platforms

No advanced jet launch system for China’s third aircraft carrier, experts say

China will not adopt highly advanced electromagnetic take-off technology on its second domestically built aircraft car-rier but instead rely on a conventional system, naval experts say. The Type 002 vessel – the country’s third aircraft car-rier after the Liaoning and the Type 001A carrier under construction in Dalian – would be equipped with at least three conventional steam launch catapults, a source close to the navy, according to the South China Morning Post. But it would be the first Chinese aircraft car-rier to use this type of launch system.

There are still some technical problems applying nuclear propulsion to the car-rier platform, so the Type 002 will still use steam catapults. This is still a break-through compared with Liaoning and the Type 001A carrier, both of which are equipped with ski-jump ramps. It will also take a couple of years for the newest


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carrier to enter full service after its launch, as it takes two or three years to train carrier-based pilots. The construc-tion of the Type 002 started at the Jiang-nan Changxingdao shipyard in Shanghai in March 2015. China planned to produce two Type 002 carriers, each with a dis-placement of 85,000 tonnes, which would make them the biggest Chinese carriers. The Liaoning is about 55,000 ton-nes while the Type 001A will be 70,000 tonnes.

The first Type 002 carrier was expected to be launched in about 2021. There had been speculation that the Type 002 could be a nuclear-powered vessel with an electromagnetic take-off system. But Li Jie, a Beijing-based military expert, said it would be impossible to develop a com-pletely new generation carrier in just a few years. “Different systems need differ-ent technology, technicians and pilots,” Li said. “For example, the Type 001A is scheduled to be launched later this year,

but it will take several more years to de-velop as part of a real battle group be-fore entering full service in the navy.” Meanwhile, Andrei Chang, founder of military magazine Kanwa Asian Defence, said the Type 001A was “purely a copy-cat” of the Varyag, which was laid down as a Kuznetsov-class carrier for the Soviet navy in the 1970s, before it was sold to China and refurbished as the Liaoning. (No advanced jet launch system for China’s third aircraft carrier, experts say, South China Morning Post, 14 February, 2017, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2070262/no-advanced-jet-launch-system-chinas-third-aircraft-carrier-experts-say)

Source: South China Morning Post


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Nuclear

Activity at North Korean Nuclear Facility Could Mean Another Test Imminent

Activity at North Korea's Punggye-ri Nu-clear Test facility indicates that the coun-try could conduct another nuclear test at any time, a North Korean watchdog warns. The website 38 North, which moni-tors commercial satellite imagery for clues to North Korea's actions, says the contin-ued activity in many areas of the Punggye-ri site shown by images from February 18 indicate that work is underway at many of the site's tunnels. "In particular, the shift-ing of supplies and equipment, as well as additional changes in the texture and pat-tern of small sections of the tailings pile at the North Portal, indicate continuing work inside the test tunnels," 38 North said. With the snow having been cleared in some areas around the site, a "sizable col-lection of supplies or equipment in the northern courtyard," has been revealed, the website notes.

Tensions are high between the reclusive nuclear state and most of the rest of the world at the moment. Following North Korea's last intermediate-range missile test, China announced it would slash coal imports from the country, one of its last sources of income. The murder of Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in a Malaysian airport has caused many to conclude the Pyongy-ang government must be involved, and some US officials are calling for the coun-try to be re-listed as a state sponsor of terrorism.

• North Korea's bluster continues,

however. The country lashed out at Ja-pan for its "moves for overseas invasion" in an editorial in the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Japan and the US are to hold joint military drills next month. North Korea frequently gets testy when Japan practices intercepting its missiles, which North Korea likes to lob into the Sea of Japan.

"The moves stepped up by Japan in the wake of the DPRK's test-fire of Pukguk-song-2 are being ridiculed by the world community as foolish attempts to cover its ambition for overseas invasion under the pretext of the former's missile test-fire," KCNA wrote, while complaining about Japan's supposed nuclear capabili-ties.

"It is the calculation of Japan to attain the position of the leading power in Asia even by offering its whole archipelago as an advance base of the U.S. for invading the continent while zealously following the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK. The Japanese reactionaries, however, should not miscalculate," Pyongyang warned. (Activity at North Korean Nu-clear Facility Could Mean Another Test Imminent, Sputnik News, 26 February, 2017, https://sputniknews.com/asia/201702261051045791-nk-nuclear-site-activity/)

Delivery Vehicles- Missile

New images show how North Korea is expanding its missile research

The nuclear threat from North Korea looks greater than ever. Even as the new U.S. defense secretary warned North Ko-rea on February 3, 2017 of an "effective and overwhelming" response if the


DPRK

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rogue state uses nuclear weapons, im-ages indicate that Pyongyang continues to rapidly build out its missile program — research, development and facilities for storing, launching and testing missiles.

"There's a lot going on. It's not looking good," said David Schmerler, research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Schmerler is part of a team that analyzes pictures from Google Earth and private satellite imaging firm Planet Labs over time, using propa-ganda videos and other sources to tip them off on where and how to scrutinize most closely. In his analysis of several North Korean missile development and launch areas, Schmerler has in recent weeks identified a new missile facility that he said is "significantly larger" than com-parable facilities in the country. Footage from a North Korean network showed Dictator Kim Jong Un inspecting a large satellite launch vehicle at the building last February, Schmerler said. His research put the building at Sanum-dong in the north-ern part of the capital, Pyongyang.

Details on the structure have previously not been released. Satellite launch vehi-cles — big rockets, essentially — are not weapons, but their development shows how quickly North Korea's ballistics tech-nology has advanced. Tests of the projec-tiles can provide valuable data for further weapons development.

"The reality is that if North Korea doesn't test those missiles, its program doesn't advance. One thing the U.S. has to think about is, how you prevent them from testing?" said Bruce Bennett, senior de-fense analyst at research organization Rand Corp. The findings come as North Korea held two nuclear tests in 2016 and has greatly advanced its technological capabilities.

The northeast Asian nation has con-ducted more than 20 missile tests, fired

missiles from submarines, tested a rocket nose cone for its ability to withstand the heat of re-entry, and claimed its first hy-drogen bomb test — all in the last year. Schmerler's team had an informal set of criteria they believed the rouge state had to achieve before the researchers got worried. "Last year," Schmerler said, "North Korea kind of checked off that entire list." (New images show how North Korea is expanding its missile re-search, CNBC, by Evelyn Cheng, 07 Febru-ary, 2017, http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/07/newly-discovered-north-korea.html)

DPRK test-fires ballistic missile

The Democratic People's Republic of Ko-rea (DPRK) fired what is believed to be a ballistic missile into its eastern waters early

February 12, 2017, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The presumed intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile was launched at around 7:55 a.m. local time (2255 GMT February 11, 2017) near Banghyeon in the DPRK's north-western North Pyongan province.

The projectile is estimated to have trav-eled about 500 km, according to the JCS. It landed in waters off the DPRK's east coast, according to local media reports. Pyongyang test-fired Musudan missiles near the same place, where an airfield is located, in October last year.

It was the DPRK's first test-launch of a ballistic missile in 2017 and also the first since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. South Korea's military said Pyongyang's launch of ballistic mis-sile was a provocative act in violation of UN Security Council's resolutions, which ban the DPRK from testing any ballistic missile technology.


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The launch, the military believed, was aimed at drawing attention by showing off its nuclear and missile capability and was also part of armed protest against the Trump administration's hard-line stance toward the DPRK. Yonhap news agency quoted a military source as saying that February 12, 2017’s test-launch was not of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Concerns had persisted about the DPRK's ICBM test-launch following its fifth nu-clear test in September last year. Pyongy-ang test-fired a long-range ballistic rocket in February last year, about a month after detonating its fourth atomic bomb. Py-ongyang had test-fired Musudan missiles eight times between April 15 and Oct. 20 in 2016. Except for the June 22 success at which the missile traveled about 500 km, all of other launches failed.

Musudan has a range of 3,000-4,000 km that can put the entire Japan and the U.S. military base in Guam in its target range. South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae convened a national security council (NSC) meeting, which was chaired by top presidential security advisor Kim Kwan-jin.

The meeting was chaired by the top secu-rity advisor as President Park Geun-hye was suspended following a Dec. 9 im-peachment that was passed in the parlia-ment. Attending the NSC emergency meeting were ministers of defense, unifi-cation and foreign affairs as well as head of spy agency and senior presidential sec-retary for security and foreign affairs. (DPRK test-fires ballistic missile, China News, 12 February, 2017, http://www.china.org.cn/world/2017-02/12/content_40269818.htm)

North Korea Declares Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile Test Successful

North Korea has declared its February 12, 2017's nuclear-capable ballistic missile test successful, South Korean Yonhap news agency reported.

In a statement carried by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang claimed its Pukguk-song-2 strategic missile system had been successfully test-fired, according to re-ports. The surface-to-surface missile used solid propellants and a new type of an engine, the agency said. The North’s leader Kim Jong-un reportedly attended the launch. The missile also proved to be capable of engaging evasive manoeu-vres, the agency added.

The US Department of Defense has de-clined to comment on the emerging de-tails of the missile test, in response to Sputnik’s request on February 13, 2017.

The missile was reportedly launched ear-lier from an airbase in the western prov-ince of North Pyongang and travelled around several hundreds of miles before plunging into the Sea of Japan outside of the Japanese exclusive economic zone.

The launch of ballistic missile led to pro-tests from the country’s closest neighbours, Japan and South Korea, both stating that Pyongyang’s actions were in breach of the UN Security Coun-cil resolutions. DPRK has conducted a number of missile launches in the past months, including its biggest nuclear test last September, prompting condemna-tion from international community.

(North Korea Declares Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile Test Successful, Sputnik News, 13 February, 2017, https://sputniknews.com/asia/201702131050606902-north-korea-missile-test-success/)


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Delivery Vehicles-Submarine

No Updates for the month of March, 2017.

Delivery Vehicles- Aircraft

No Updates for the month of March, 2017.

Space

North Korea Plans to Continue Satellite Launches Despite UN Objections

North Korea intends to continue launch-ing satellites, despite UN Security Council sanctions and resolutions. According to the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, the country will continue to launch satellites when and where its leadership deter-mines. On February 7, 2016, North Korea put a satellite into orbit, violating UN Se-curity Council resolutions. The move is considered threatening since the interna-tional community believes the North could use its rocket technology to de-velop ballistic nuclear missiles.

Pyongyang has successfully conducted five nuclear tests, including two in 2016, and has frequently made statements about the advancement of its nuclear pro-gram. In January, the North Korean For-eign Ministry announced that the country was ready to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) "anytime and any-where."

• Satellite Data Shows North Korea Tightening Security At Missile Launch Site North Korea has beefed up security at its Sohae satellite launch station, causing some US analysts to believe that the country is preparing to test ballistic-missile technology currently banned by the United Nations.

An analysis by Joseph Bermudez, a North Korean military affairs expert, published by 38 North, a US-based website monitor-ing activities in the DPRK, used satellite images to confirm extensions to the sta-tion's outer and inner security perime-ters. 38 North's summary stated, "While the upgrades are likely tied to the master construction plan, they may also indicate that the launch facility could soon be oc-cupied by NADA and KPA scientists, engi-neers, technicians and support person-nel. Upgraded security may also reflect a growing North Korean concern of intelli-gence collection by foreign governments using defectors from the area or outside agents to infiltrate and collect informa-tion."

Bermudez's report suggested that these extensions began in 2011, and described new guard positions and fences that had been added to areas where before there were only simple patrol paths. "Today, the outer security perimeter is [about 17 miles] long, encompassing [nearly 11 square miles] and 12 villages," he said, adding, "The inner security perimeter is [about 12 miles] long, encompassing [nearly 6 square miles] and the Sohae launch facility proper."

The UN Security council has decried the DPRK's ballistic missile launches, describ-ing them as "grave violations" of the or-ganization's ban on such activity, and ad-vised member states to pass further sanc-tions against Pyongyang. After the DPRK launched a missile from a submarine on August 24, the Japanese Foreign Ministry released a statement criticizing Pyongy-ang saying, "[The US and Japan] agreed that North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine on August 24 is unacceptable, and confirmed their inten-tion to continue to stay in close coopera-tion on the Issue of North Korea, includ-ing at the platform of the UN Security


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Council."

• The European Council tightened sanctions on North Korea in January, after Pyongyang claimed that it had success-fully tested a hydrogen bomb. The Council stated, "Considering that the actions of the DPRK constitute a grave threat to in-ternational peace and security in the re-gion and beyond, the EU decided to fur-ther expand its restrictive measures tar-geting the DPRK's nuclear, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile pro-grammes." Photos show progress at the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site where the bomb was said to have been detonated.

• Sohae, located in the northwest-ern territory of Tongchang-ri, was the site of a successful long-range rocket launch in February, in which a satellite was put into orbit. This led to a controversial agree-ment between the US and South Korea to construct the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), as a preemptive step to protecting the peninsula from North Korean aggression. (North Korea Plans to Continue Satellite Launches De-spite UN Objections, Space Daily, 08 Feb-ruary, 2017, http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/North_Ko-rea_Plans_to_Continue_Satellite_Launches_Despite_UN_Objections_999.html)

Other Platforms

No Updates

Nuclear

Iran says denied carbon fiber for nuclear facilities

Iran has been denied fiber carbon that it had ordered for use in its nuclear indus-try, Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi has told Fars news agency February 6. He did not di-rectly comment why the supplier has de-nied Iran’s request, but said, “We did not accept their conditions. Whenever they give us carbon fibers, we will put aside our own carbon fibers.”

The Institute for Science and Interna-tional Security reported last July that the AEOI had made an attempt to purchase tons of controlled carbon fiber from a country. This attempt, the institute said, occurred after Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The attempt to acquire carbon fiber was denied by the supplier and its government.

Carbon fiber is usually used in combina-tion with other materials to form a com-posite. The properties of carbon fiber, such as high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resis-tance, high temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion makes them one of the most popular material in civil engi-neering possessing strength up to five times that of steel and being one-third its weight.

Carbon fibers that are only one-tenth the size of a human hair, but three times stronger than steel, may hold up to the intense heat and radiation of next gen-eration nuclear power generators, pro-viding a safety mechanism. In March 2015, Iran’s Defense Minister Hossein


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Dehqn inaugurated a T-300 carbon fiber factory with an annual output of 150 tons.

In the military industry, carbon fiber is used for armoring, bullet-proofing, and providing non-flammable roof- or side-protection for land-, air- or sea-systems. It offers protection against heat or open fire less weight in addition with maximum stiffness. Applications also include drones development. (Iran says denied carbon fiber for nuclear facilities, Trends News Agency, by Mehdi Sepahvand, 06 Febru-ary, 2017, http://en.trend.az/iran/politics/2717883.html)

Iran boosts uranium stocks amid nuclear face-off with Trump

Iran nuke chief Ali Akbar Salehi revealed the nation will be receiving 135 metric tonnes of natural uranium from Russia before February 7, 2017.

The latest shipment, combined with 190 tonnes received last year, would see Iran with 60% more uranium stockpiled since they signed a UN agreement to halt “any activity” related to nuclear weapons until 2025.

Highly enriched uranium is a key ingredi-ent in nuclear weapons – but Iranian offi-cials said they have “no interest” in such technology. Iran’s import of uranium is supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran came under fire last week after it launched a medium range Khorramshahr ballistic missile. The Trump administration hit back with sanctions against 13 people and a dozen companies connected with Iran on February 3, 2017. It comes as a Trump advisor revealed these actions were “only the beginning” as the US president said “nothing was off the ta-ble”.

But Iranian officials have declared they will not bow down to US “bullying”. Iran's acting commander of the Revolu-tionary Guard, Gen Hossein Salami, said “[Iran will] never change direction by a world power's demand, and our missile and non-missile power will be updated every day.” Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran, recently launched a suicide at-tack on a Saudi Arabian vessel which US defence officials believe was mistaken for an American warship. (Iran boosts ura-nium stocks amid nuclear face-off with Trump, Daily Star, by Nicole Stinson, 06 February, 2017, http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/585633/Donald-Trump-Iran-Russia-uranium-shipment-nuclear-weapons-missile-launch-war-sanctions)

Iran stresses ‘updating’ nuclear medicine centers

Iran’s nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, on February 13, 2017 defended the country’s peaceful nuclear program, underscoring that Tehran has to keep “updating” its nuclear medicine centers. Salehi made the comments while visiting a nuclear medicine center in Tehran where children receive nuclear-related treatment.

“The Atomic Agency Organization of Iran has the responsibility to help those cen-ters that deal with nuclear technologies,” he was quoted as saying. Using its nu-clear expertise, Iran has grown less de-pendent on imports of nuclear-based medicines and introduced a number of radiopharmaceutical products.

In 2009, Iranian scientists performed a successful bone marrow surgery on a girl with cancer, using Iranian-produced ra-diopharmaceutical MIBG in combination with stem cell techniques. Iran has taken initial steps to establish nuclear hospital, the first of its kind in the Middle East.


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“Preliminary work to start construction of the largest nuclear hospital in the Middle East has already been done,” Salehi stated. In a relevant development, Iran, in collaboration with Russia, is building an underground infrastructure to produce stable isotopes for civilian uses in indus-try, agriculture and medicine at the Frodo facility. Iran is the fourth country in the world with such a technology.

Iran and the Russian ROSATOM signed on Jan. 20 a roadmap for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including stable isotope production. The collabora-tion is framed within a 2015 international nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers that removed sanctions against Tehran in return for it rolling back its nu-clear program.

Under the deal, Iran has committed to convert the Frodo facility into a nuclear, physics and technology center. Two of the six cascades in the facility will spin with-out uranium and will be transitioned, in-cluding through appropriate infrastruc-ture modification, for stable isotope pro-duction. (Iran stresses ‘updating’ nuclear medicine centers, Tehran Times, 13 Febru-ary, 2017, http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/411052/Iran-stresses-updating-nuclear-medicine-centers)

Iran plans to use nuclear technology in maritime industry

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan has called for using nu-clear energy for marine propulsion in mak-ing heavy vessels as well as submarines.

Dehqan said that the industry should con-sider environmental issues in developing propulsion devices, ISNA news agency reported. He made the remarks address-ing a conference on marine propulsion in Tehran this morning. Iran earlier an-

nounced that the country has started taking countermeasures over a US viola-tion of the 2015 multilateral nuclear ac-cord.

Following a vote by the US Congress to renew a piece of legislation against Iran that has been deemed by Iranian officials as a violation of the nuclear accord last December, Iranian President Hassan Rouhnai ordered the country’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) to start cer-tain nuclear activities.

Under the order, the AEOI was tasked with working on nuclear propulsion de-vices to be used in sea transport. (Iran plans to use nuclear technology in mari-time industry, Trend News Agency, by Khalid Kazimov, 14 February, 2017, http://en.trend.az/iran/politics/2720811.html)

Iran mulling European demand for heavy water: official

Iran is looking into requests put in by European customers for its heavy water, a senior official with Iran’s nuclear or-ganization said on February 18, 2017. “We are reviewing requests from some Euro-pean countries for our heavy water,” Ali Zarean, special aide to the country’s nu-clear chief, was quoted as saying.

Back in March 2016, Iran exported 32 tons of heavy water to the United States as part of a landmark nuclear agreement in 2105 for a price of $8.6 million. Under the nuclear accord, economic sanctions against Tehran were lifted in exchange for it rolling back its nuclear program. The shipment was the first technological material exported from Iran to the U.S., considered by the Middle Eastern nation to be an accomplishment.

Also, it sold Russia 38 tons of the nuclear substance last year. The nuclear deal


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stipulates that Iran has to make available all its excess heavy water for export to international markets with “no additional heavy water reactors or accumulation of heavy water in Iran for 15 years.”

Iran's annual needs are estimated to be 130 metric tons of nuclear grade heavy water or its equivalent in different enrich-ments prior to commissioning of the modernized Arak research reactor. (Iran mulling European demand for heavy wa-ter: official, Tehran Times, 18 February, 2017, http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/411206/Iran-mulling-European-demand-for-heavy-water-official)

Iran plans to buy Kazakh uranium ore, seek Russia help to make nuclear fuel

Iran plans to buy 950 tonnes of uranium ore from Kazakhstan over three years and expects to get Russian help in producing nuclear fuel, its top nuclear official said in remarks published on February 25, 2017.

The acquisition would not violate Iran's landmark 2015 deal with world powers over its disputed nuclear program as the deal did not set limits on the Islamic Re-public's supplies of uranium ore. The re-port by the Iranian Students' News Agency ISNA comes a day after the U.N. atomic watchdog said Iran's official stock of enriched uranium had fallen by half after large amounts stuck in pipes was recategorised as unrecoverable under a process agreed with the major powers.

"About 650 tonnes is to be delivered in two shipments over two years and 300 tonnes during the third year and this ship-ment is to be returned to Kazakhstan (after enrichment)," Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organiza-tion, told ISNA in an interview. Iran has asked a body overseeing its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers to approve the

purchase of uranium ore and was still awaiting Britain's agreement, Salehi said.

"Five of the members of the committee overseeing the (nuclear deal) have given their written approval, but Britain changed its mind at the last moment, considering the U.S. elections and Middle East problems," Salehi said, without elaborating. There was no immediate re-action from Britain to the report.

"In nuclear talks ... we reached a final agreement on jointly producing nuclear fuel with Russia," Salehi said. "We asked for their help in this regard... and it was agreed for the Russians to give us advi-sory help." (Iran plans to buy Kazakh ura-nium ore, seek Russia help to make nu-clear fuel, Reuters, 25 February, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-kazakhstan-russia-idUSKBN1640DO)

Delivery Vehicles- Missile

Iran confirms missile test, says didn’t violate nuclear deal

Iran's defense minister said on February 1, 2017 it had tested a new missile but this did not breach the Islamic Republic's nu-clear accord with world powers or a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the pact. Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015, but the latest test was the first during US President Donald Trump's administration. Trump said in his election campaign that he would stop Iran's missile program.

"The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defense affairs," Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan told Tasnim news agency. "The test did not violate the nuclear deal or (UN) Resolution 2231." A US official said on January 30,


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2017 that Iran test-launched a medium-range ballistic missile on January 28, 2017 and it exploded after traveling 630 miles (1,010 km).

The Security Council held an emergency meeting on January 31, 2017 and recom-mended the matter of the missile testing be studied at committee level. The new US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, called the test "unacceptable". Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on January 31, 2017 that Tehran would never use its ballistic missiles to attack another coun-try.

Some 220 Iranian members of parliament reaffirmed support for Tehran's missile program, calling international condemna-tion of the tests "illogical." "The Islamic Republic of Iran is against weapons of mass destruction, so its missile capability is the only available deterrence against enemy hostility," the lawmakers said in a statement carried on state media on Feb-ruary 1, 2017.

The state news agency IRNA quoted Ali Shamkhani, head of Iran's National Secu-rity Council, as saying Iran would not seek "permission from any country or interna-tional organization for development of our conventional defensive capability". The Security Council resolution was adopted to buttress the deal under which Iran curbed its nuclear activities to allay concerns they could be put to developing atomic bombs, in exchange for relief from tough economic sanctions. The resolution urged Tehran to refrain from work on bal-listic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Critics say the resolution's lan-guage does not make this obligatory.

Tehran says it has not carried out any work on missiles specifically designed to carry nuclear payloads. The test, accord-ing to US officials, was of a medium-range ballistic missile, a type that had been

tested seven months ago as well. Iran has one of the Middle East's largest mis-sile programs but its potential effective-ness has been limited by a poor record for accuracy. However, Hossein Salami, deputy head of Iran's powerful Revolu-tionary Guards (IRGC) said on the day of the test, that the country was now one of the few whose ballistic missiles were capable of hitting moving objects. Such a capability would enable Iran to hit enemy ships, drones or incoming ballistic mis-sile. Some of Iran's precision-guided mis-siles have the range to strike its regional arch-enemy Israel. (Iran confirms missile test, says didn’t violate nuclear deal, The Daily Star, 01 February, 2017, http://dev.thedailystar.net/world/iran-confirms-missile-test-says-didnt-violate-nuclear-deal-1354417)

Trump hits Iran with new sanctions for missile test

The Trump administration ordered sanc-tions against more than two dozen peo-ple and companies from the Persian Gulf to China February 3, 2017 in retaliation for Iran's recent ballistic missile test, in-creasing pressure on Tehran without di-rectly undercutting a landmark nuclear deal with the country.

Those targeted by the Treasury Depart-ment include Iranian, Lebanese, Emirati and Chinese individuals and firms in-volved in procuring ballistic missile tech-nology for Iran. They are now prohibited from doing any business in the United States or with American citizens. The overall impact is likely to be minimal on Iran's economy, though some of the peo-ple and companies have relationships with Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guard military forces.

"The days of turning a blind eye to Iran's hostile and belligerent actions toward


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the United States and the world commu-nity are over," Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, said in a statement. Although White House spokesman Sean Spicer acknowl-edged that much of the legwork had oc-curred under President Barack Obama, he told reporters the Trump administration "acted swiftly and decisively" after Iran's recent missile test and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen firing on a Saudi naval vessel.

It is Trump's first package of penalties against Iran, reflecting his insistence on a tougher stance toward Tehran. Through-out his election campaign, Trump accused the Obama administration of being weak on Iran, and he vowed to crack down if elected. Iran has acknowledged that it conducted a missile test. But it insists the test didn't violate the 2015 nuclear accord it reached with the United States and five other world powers, or a subsequent U.N. Security Council resolution extend-ing an eight-year ban on ballistic missiles "designed to be capable of delivering nu-clear weapons." Washington, under Obama and Trump, and its Western allies agree the matter is separate from the nu-clear pact but maintain that the missile tests violate the U.N. ban.

Iran's foreign ministry decried the new U.S. sanctions on February 3, 2017 as "illegitimate." It vowed counter-sanctions on American companies and firms. Iran already has a formidable arsenal of thou-sands of short- and medium-range ballis-tic missiles capable of reaching Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East, as well as American bases, and has undertaken a series of tests in the year and a half since the nuclear agreement. The U.S. said the latest launch was of a medium-range mis-sile, and an American defense official de-scribed it as failing re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. (Trump hits Iran with

new sanctions for missile test, MSN News, 03 February, 2017, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-hits-iran-with-new-sanctions-for-missile-test/ar-AAmzMLP )

Iran’s Missile Test: Getting the Facts Straight on North Korea’s Cooperation

On January 29, Iran tested a new ballistic missile it dubbed the Khorramshahr, which reportedly flew a distance of about 1,000 kilometers. Little is known about the missile, though some have specu-lated that it relies on a liquid-fueled en-gine originally developed by the Isayev Design Bureau for the Soviet R-27 subma-rine-launched ballistic missile. If so, this could make it a variant of the North Ko-rean Musudan (KN-10), an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that uses the same engine and that Pyongyang be-gan flight testing in 2016. The ramifica-tions of such a connection would be sig-nificant, not only because it would signify ongoing close Iranian-North Korean mis-sile cooperation, but also because such an engine would be a foundation for Iran to develop a viable intercontinental ballis-tic missile (ICBM). However, contrary to some assertions, the available evidence cannot verify speculation that the Iranian missile is similar to North Korea’s Musu-dan, or reports that Pyongyang exported R-27 engines to Iran.

Media reports citing US government offi-cials claim the missile traveled about 1,000 kilometers, but its re-entry vehicle exploded before the flight was complete. It is unclear whether the explosion was the result of an accidental or a deliberate detonation. Officials did not provide de-tails about the type of missile tested, though an anonymous Pentagon official informed Reuters that it was the same kind of missile tested in July 2016, and


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that the launch occurred near Semnan, a known missile-test site west of Tehran.

However, it remains uncertain whether the missile utilized North Korean technol-ogy or was based on the Musudan IRBM. Fox News asserted that Iran tested a BM-25 missile, built with R-27 engine technol-ogy imported from North Korea in July 2016. However, that report was not inde-pendently confirmed by other media sources. Moreover, during a briefing to journalists on February 1, 2017, a National Security Council official described the mis-sile tested as a Shahab, a missile based on older North Korean technology.

Given these uncertainties, there are four possibilities regarding Iran’s new ballistic missile, ordered from most likely to least likely.

The first possibility is that Iran tested a Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) based on North Korea’s Nodong missile. Initially test fired by Tehran in 1998, this weapon has a range of 950 kilo-meters when carrying a 1,000-kg warhead. Iran has created variants of the Shahab-3 called the Ghadr, and most recently the Emad, which deliver a smaller 750-kg pay-load to roughly 1,600 kilometers. The Emad, the most recent design, is similar to the Ghadr, but in principle could become more accurate since fins on its base allow the warhead to alter its flight path as it re-enters the atmosphere. Perfecting the new re-entry vehicle design requires Iran to conduct a dozen or more flight tests, essentially creating a new missile.

The second possibility is that the missile tested was a variant of the Shahab-2, based on the North’s Scud-C missile that was imported by Iran from North Korea in the late-1980s and early-1990s, called the Qiam. It has a maximum range of about 700 kilometers, which would seemingly eliminate it as well as any other Scud vari-ants as the possible subject of the recent

test flight. However, North Korea un-veiled and tested a one-meter diameter Scud in the summer of 2016 capable of reaching a distance of about 1,000 kilo-meters. There is no evidence to suggest Pyongyang has transferred one-meter Scuds to Tehran, but it is within Iran’s technical and industrial capacity to de-velop a clone of the North Korean mis-sile.

Third, the recent Iranian test may have been a solid-fueled missile derived from Iran’s Sajjil program which has not been tested since 2011. A missile consisting of only the Sajjil’s first stage would have an approximate range of 1,000 kilometers and could be used to target Arab Gulf states and US forces in the region from less-vulnerable launch positions in Iran’s interior.

The final and least likely possibility is that Iran tested a missile that is essentially the same as the North Korean Musudan. This is unlikely for three reasons. First, if the Iranian missile were modeled on the 3,000 kilometer-range Musudan, it would be an intermediate-range ballistic missile, contrary to the US description of the Khorramshahr as a medium-range ballis-tic missile.

Second, while the July 2016 and January 2017 test flights conducted by Iran were largely successful, North Korea’s tests of the Musudan failed soon after launch in six of eight attempts, a wide discrepancy that is difficult to explain even if, as some might assert, Iran is more capable at mis-sile development.

Finally, flying a Musudan to only 1,000 kilometers is unnecessary for Iran, since it has a much larger flight corridor within which test flights can be performed and has done so.

There is also no reason to believe that Iran could not test a BM-25 to maximum


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range—instead, if the Khorramshahr is based on the BM-25, it would have flown a very lofted trajectory. In fact, the flight paths associated with each of the possi-bilities vary considerably, with a possible BM-25 launch flying to the highest alti-tude, and the one-meter Scud taking the flattest trajectory. The countries monitor-ing Iranian air space would certainly be able to distinguish between a BM-25 mis-sile test from one involving a Ghadr or Emad. A one-meter Scud missile test would differ from either a BM-25 or Ghadr/Emad test. If a single-stage missile based on Sajjil technology were tested, its flight path and acceleration profile during boost phase would be different from that of a one-meter Scud. Given these differ-ences, it is difficult to imagine that the US government does not know the identity of the missiles tested last July and in January 2017.

The strategic implications of Tehran’s re-cent missile test and the possibility of continued missile cooperation with Py-ongyang vary depending on what was actually launched. If the Khorramshahr was a Shahab-3 variant based, in part, on old Nodong technology acquired from North Korea years ago, then Iran is keep-ing with a pattern it has pursued over the past half dozen years—prioritizing greater accuracy and enhanced military utility. However, it would not be evidence of ongoing missile cooperation with North Korea. If the test involved either a one-meter Scud or a single-stage version of the Sajjil, then Iran has refocused its missile acquisition efforts in an attempt to diversify its stockpile and increase op-erational flexibility. In this case, only the development of a one-meter Scud would indicate ongoing cooperation with Py-ongyang. Finally, in the least likely sce-nario, if the Khorramshahr did employ an R-27 engine, which uses high-performance propellants, it would signify

that not only does Iran continue to have close missile cooperation with North Ko-rea, it could also develop a road-mobile, two-stage intercontinental ballistic mis-sile capable of striking the US mainland. However, such a development would not occur overnight, and would require four or five years of observable flight tests. (Iran’s Missile Test: Getting the Facts Straight on North Korea’s Cooperation, 38 North, by Michael Elleman, 03 Febru-ary, 2017, http://38north.org/2017/02/melleman020317/)

Iran's IRGC tests new missiles in air de-fense drills

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) test-fired new missiles in the on-going air defense drills on February 4, 2017, semi-official Mehr news agency re-ported. The missiles included home-made short-range and medium-range systems, the report said. The indigenous missile of 3-Khordad, which was test-fired on Feb-ruary 4, 2017, has a range of 75km and can soar to altitudes up to 30 km. It is ca-pable of engaging in electronic warfare and incorporates the latest cutting-edge technology and scrambling on multiple targets in lower radar cross-section (RCS).

Another tested missile of Tabas has a range of 60 km and soars to the altitude of 30 km. It is designed and manufac-tured by the IRGC and is highly agile in offensive and defensive positions. The third one tested was Sayyad-2 missile sys-tem which has the same features as Ta-bas and has been designed by Iranian Ministry of Defense, according to Mehr. Also, IRGC deployed three radar systems in the drills on February 4, 2017. Ghadir long-range radar system with 3D detect-ing feature can capture the aerial threats as far as 1100 km away. Ghadir is capable


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of detecting stealth drones and other ae-rial vehicles and can even trace the tar-gets. Matla'alfajr and Kavosh radar sys-tems are capable of detecting the threats up to 500km and 150km respectively. They can also detect cruise missiles and drones flying in lower altitudes.

The IRGC launched a major air defense drill, dubbed Defenders of Velayat, on February 4, 2017, official IRNA news agency reported. The military exercise is carried out in the area of 35,000 square kilometers in Semnan region in the cen-tral-north of Iran. The maneuver is aimed at enhancing the preparedness of the IRGC units in the face of threats.

The home-grown radar systems, com-mandment tactics, as well as control and electronic warfare systems will be put in the test in the exercise, the report said. Last week, Iran launched a ballistic missile test, which drew a stern warning from Washington. Iran dismissed the U.S. con-cerns saying that the test was aimed at deterrence purposes. (Iran's IRGC tests new missiles in air defense drills, CCTV News, 05 February, 2017, http://english.cctv.com/2017/02/05/ARTIKVwWcoBEQAUIUEFQmmfC170205.shtml)

Iran launches surface-to-air missile, re-ports say

Iran fired a surface-to-air missile February 8, 2017, days after President Trump's ad-ministration sanctioned Iranian individuals and companies tied to recent missile tests, multiple reports say.

• CNN, citing a U.S. official, said Iran launched the defensive missile from the same pad used for a medium-range mis-sile test that failed earlier this month. The rocket, described as a short-range sur-face-to-air missile, impacted 35 miles away, Fox News reported.

The reported test comes less than a week after Trump signaled sanctions on Iran with an early morning message on Twitter, citing the Tehran government's recent missile tests. The sanctions — which have been in the pipeline for months — said nothing about the nu-clear deal between Iran and six world powers including the U.S., which Trump attacked during his presidential cam-paign.

The sanctions affect 13 Iranian individuals and 12 companies, freezing any property or funds they may have under U.S. juris-diction. The Treasury Department also said that "U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions" with those on the sanctions list. (Iran launches surface-to-air missile, reports say, USA Today, by Charles Ventura, 09 February, 2017, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/02/09/iran-missile-united-states/97677040/)

Iran launches 'advanced' rockets during military exercises

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard has launched several sophisticated rockets during military exercises, Iranian media reported on February 17, 2017.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, considered to be close to the Revolution-ary Guard, said the launch of the "smart and advanced'' rockets came during an annual three-day maneuver which began on February 17, 2017 in Iran's central de-sert. Later on February 17, 2017, state TV showed footage of several rockets launching from the back of trucks in the desert.

Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards' ground forces told the channel that rockets with ranges of


22

more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) as well as the Fajr-3, Fajr-4 and Fajr-5 rock-ets, all believed to have under 100-kilometer range, were all successfully tested in the exercise. Pakpour said the tests send a message to any of Iran's po-tential adversaries: "We are ready to give a crushing respond to any threat.'' (Iran launches 'advanced' rockets during mili-tary exercises, The Economic Times, 20 February, 2017, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/iran-launches-advanced-rockets-during-military-exercises/articleshow/57253960.cms)

Iran says has increased precision of its long-range ballistic missiles

Iran now has long-range ballistic missiles with greater precision, its defense minis-ter said on February 23, 2017, rejecting reports that Tehran has halted its missile program after a recent missile launch that drew a response from Washington. “We have increased the range and precision of our long-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missiles,” Hossein Dehqan was quoted as saying in an event in Noushahr, northern Iran.

“We have achieved greater precision in longer ranges,” he added. The Iranian army has also managed to increase shelf life of its missiles up to 20 years, Dehqan explained. On Jan. 29, Iran launched a new type of medium-range ballistic mis-sile prompting an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 31.

A day later the White House issued a strongly worded statement from National Security Adviser Mike Flynn putting Iran "on notice." President Trump tweeted a similar statement soon after. Days after the missile test, American intelligence officials claimed that Iran had quickly cleaned up the same site and prepared

another missile on the same launchpad near Semnan, about 140 miles east of Te-hran, before it was removed.

Washington called on the Security Coun-cil to look into the missile launch, arguing that it violated UNSC Resolution 2231, which backs an international nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. The resolution calls upon Iran “not to under-take any activity related to ballistic mis-siles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches us-ing such ballistic missile technology,” un-til eight years after the implementation of the deal.

This while Tehran insists that its missiles are not capable of carrying nuclear war-heads and are for defense only. Iran uses its “conventional” missiles to “legitimately” defend its territory, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif stated. (Iran says has increased precision of its long-range ballistic missiles, Tehran Times, 23 Febru-ary, 2017, http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/411375/Iran-says-has-increased-precision-of-its-long-range-ballistic)

Iran successfully launches latest cruise missile

Iran’s latest developed cruise missile ‘Nasir’ has been successfully test fired during massive naval drills on Mon., De-fense Minister Hossein Dehghan an-nounced today.

Iran’s Minister of Defense Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan announced that the latest domestically developed naval cruise missile named ‘Nasir’ has been suc-cessfully launched and hit the predeter-mined targets during Velayat 95 drill.

The last stage of the massive naval drill codenamed Velayat 95 is currently under-way on southern waters covering an area


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of two million square kilometers all the way from the Strait of Hurmuz, the Sea of Oman, North Indian Ocean and Bab-el-Mandeb to 10° latitudes. The naval maneu-ver was launched on February 26, 2017 morning at the order of Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari. (Iran suc-cessfully launches latest cruise missile, Mehr News, 27 February, 2017, http://en.mehrnews.com/news/123867/Iran-successfully-launches-latest-cruise-missile )

Delivery Vehicles-Submarine

Iranian submarines to use nuclear-fuelled propellers

Iran’s defense minister said on February 14, 2017 that there is need for the country to develop technology to use nuclear-propulsion systems for its submarines and heavy ships. “We need to use nuclear en-ergy in marine propulsion systems de-signed for submarines or heavy ships,” he was quoted as saying in the first Marine Propulsion Conference in Tehran.

Nuclear-fuelled marine propellers have an environmental and economic edge over alternatives which run on fossil fuels. “We have plans to utilize nuclear energy in the marine sector,” he added. In December, President Hassan Rouhani, ordered the development of nuclear-propulsion sys-tem for ships, describing the move as a response to the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act by the U.S. Congress in De-cember.

Rouhani also ordered a study of fuel pro-duction for the propulsion system, setting a three-month deadline for a progress re-port on the project. To Iran, the extension contravened the 2015 international nu-clear deal with six powers, including the U.S., which removed economic sanctions

on Iran in exchange for the country roll-ing back its nuclear program.

Under the deal, Iran has committed to keep its level of uranium enrichment at up to 3.67 percent. Talking about the is-sue, Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi highlighted in December that in develop-ing the propulsion systems his country will act according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards agreement. (Iranian submarines to use nuclear-fuelled propellers, Tehran Times, 15 February, 2017, http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/411117/Iranian-submarines-to-use-nuclear-fuelled-propellers)

Delivery Vehicles- Aircraft

No Updates

Space

Iran Unveils 2 New Homegrown Satel-lites

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Feb-ruary 1, 2017 unveiled 3 new achieve-ments in the space industry, including two satellites manufactured by domestic experts and academic centers. In a cere-mony in Tehran marking the National Day of Space Technology, President Rouhani unveiled the Nahid-1 (Venus-1) and Payam-e-Amirkabir (Amirkabir’s mes-sage) satellites, as well as an orbital ma-neuvering system dubbed Saman-1.

The president also paid a visit to an exhi-bition of achievements of Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC), held on the side-lines of the ceremony. Known as Iran’s first telecommunication satellite, Nahid-1 has been developed by the ISRC experts. The technology used in making the satel-lite is one that has been the basis for


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Iran’s progress in the communication sat-ellite technology. Nahid-1 uses photo-voltaic solar panels in orbit and uses the Ku band for communication.

The other satellite, Payam-e-Amirkabir, has been made in Tehran’s Amirkabir Uni-versity of Technology with the mission to take surveying images at resolutions be-low 40 meters. Equipped with a range of homegrown technologies, the satellite will go into orbit with a local carrier. An-other major achievement made by the ISRC technicians is Saman-1, a system for controlling the orbital transition of satel-lites. For the first mission, Saman-1 will be used to transfer a 100-kilogram satellite from a low Earth orbit about 400 km above the Earth's surface to a higher ellip-tical orbit at an altitude of 700 km.

Iran has in recent years made great head-ways in manufacturing satellites. It launched into orbit its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope), in February 2009. In January 2013, Iran sent a monkey into space aboard an indige-nous bio-capsule code-named Pishgam (Pioneer). (Iran Unveils 2 New Home-grown Satellites, Tasnim News Agency, 01 February, 2017, https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/02/01/1314846/iran-unveils-2-new-homegrown-satellites )

Other Platforms

IRGC Ground Forces launch drone organi-zation

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ground Forces have established an or-ganization specializing in using drones in military operations. “We… have set up a drone center and organization, which has bases in operational areas, and is cur-rently active,” Commander of IRGC

Ground Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour told Tasnim news agency on February 26, 2017. The IRGC Ground Forces possesses and has used various state-of-the-art military equip-ment, including combat drones, in differ-ent maneuvers showcasing the country’s defense prowess.

The IRGC Ground Forces started three-day massive military drills, codenamed Payambar-e-A’azam 11 (Great Prophet 11), on February 20 in northeastern Iran with its motto being “demonstration of power and enduring stability.” The maneuvers featured the IRGC’s drone, artillery, air defense, and infantry units. IRGC Ground Forces also practiced reconnaissance mis-sions using the Corps’ drones.

In October 2016, the IRGC unveiled a combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), called Saeqeh (Thunderbolt). Saeqeh is a long-range drone capable of carrying four smart and precision-guided bombs and can strike targets with high precision. It is one of the Simorgh-class drones, which is the Iranian version of the US RQ-170 Sen-tinel stealth aircraft. In December 2012, the IRGC captured a US ScanEagle drone over the Persian Gulf waters upon its in-trusion into the Iranian airspace.

In the same month the previous year, Iran downed a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft with minimal damage. The drone was flying over the Iranian city of Kash-mar, near the Afghan border, when it was brought down. (IRGC Ground Forces launch drone organization, Press TV, 26 February, 2017, http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/02/26/512198/Iran-IRGC-Ground-Forces-drone-organization-Mohammad-Pakpour)


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Nuclear

Pakistan opposes nuclear, conventional arms race in region

According to Business Recorder, Mainte-nance of peace and stability in South Asia is the cornerstone of Pakistan's policy as we are opposed to nuclear or conven-tional arms race in the region, Foreign Of-fice spokesperson February 1, said Paki-stan's nuclear capability is solely for self-defense and we are committed to credi-ble minimum deterrence, Nafees Zakaria during the weekly briefing at the foreign office said. Responding to a query he said India's massive arms-buying spree and the consequent conventional asymmetry con-tinue to be a threat to regional peace and stability. Pakistan does not want to in-dulge in any arms race and remains com-mitted to pursuing arms control and re-straint measures. We believe that the re-gion's scarce resources should be devoted to the socioeconomic uplift of its people, he remarked. (Pakistan opposes nuclear, conventional arms race in region, Business Recorder, 02 February, 2017, http://www.brecorder.com/2017/02/02/336241)

Pakistan wants India's entire nuclear pro-gramme under IAEA safeguards

According to Dawn, Pakistan wants India to bring its entire civilian nuclear pro-gramme under the safeguards laid out by the International Atomic Energy Commis-sion (IAEA), a press release quoting Direc-tor General Disarmament at the Foreign Office Kamran Akhtar said. Akhtar was speaking at a round-table discussion in Islamabad on Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), organised to prepare for

the upcoming Conference on Disarma-ment (CD). Experienced FMCT experts also participated in the meeting.

"It is incumbent on us to stand up for our own interest. We want an assurance that India's whole three stage nuclear power programme would be under safeguards," Akhtar said, Pakistan will not agree to FMCT until it gets the assurance from India. He said negotiating a treaty that only bans future production of fissile ma-terial without taking into account the existing stockpiles would freeze "the ex-isting asymmetries". (Pakistan wants In-dia's entire nuclear programme under IAEA safeguards, Dawn, 06 February, 2017, https://www.dawn.com/news/1313090/pakistan-wants-indias-entire-nuclear-programme-under-iaea-safeguards)

India has built ‘secret nuclear city’, claims Pakistan

According to The Financial Express, India has accumulated a stockpile of nuclear weapons which threaten to undermine the strategic balance of power in the re-gion, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on February 10. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria claimed that India has also built a “secret nuclear city” and has been conducting tests on inter-continental missile reported Dawn news-paper. Steps such as these, Zakaria said, are impacting the existing balance of power in the region.

“Pakistan remains committed to the prin-ciples of peaceful existence with all of its neighbours, including India,” he said. Za-karia said India had been “exposed” by the failure of its efforts to isolate Paki-stan, and added that the Indian govern-ment should reciprocate the steps taken by Pakistan for peace. A study published by the Institute of Strategic Studies Is-


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lamabad in 2016 claimed that India has sufficient fissile material and the technical capacity to produce between 356 and 492 nuclear bombs. (India has built ‘secret nuclear city’, claims Pakistan, The Finan-cial Express, 10 February, 2017, http://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/india-has-built-secret-nuclear-city-claims-pakistan-2/546438/ )

Falling Economy and Rising Nuke Arsenal Make Pakistan the Most Dangerous Country for World

According to The India Times, Pakistan is probably the "most dangerous country" in the world, a former CIA official has said, citing the potential dangers emanating from its failing economy, rampant terror-ism and one of fastest growing nuclear arsenal. Kevin Hulbert, a former CIA Sta-tion Chief in Islamabad, warned that the "failure" of Pakistan would have implica-tions for the world. Pakistan is like the bank that is "too big to fail", or "too big to allow to fail" more appropriately be-cause allowing the bank to fail could have catastrophic impacts on the greater econ-omy. (Falling Economy and Rising Nuke Arsenal Make Pakistan the Most Danger-ous Country for World, India Times, 16 February, 2017, http://www.indiatimes.com/news/world/falling-economy-and-rising-nuclear-arsenal-make-pakistan-the-most-dangerous-country-in-the-world-claims-former-cia-official-271659.html)

Pakistan, India extend nuclear safety agreement

According to The Express Tribune, Paki-stan and India have agreed to extend their bilateral agreement on reducing the risk from accidents relating to nuclear weapons in a move suggesting the two rivals are still mindful of nuclear dangers

despite currently strained ties. The key agreement was extended for the next five years (2017-2022), said a statement issued by the Foreign Office on February 20.

The agreement came into force in 2007. It was subsequently extended for a period of five years in 2012. The accord is part of the nuclear confidence building measures agreed between Pakistan and India. The aimed of the agreement is to promote a stable environment of peace and security between the two countries, reads the official handout. “It is premised on the recognition that the nuclear dimension of the security environment of the two countries adds to their responsibility for avoidance of conflict,” the statement added. (Pakistan, India extend nuclear safety agreement, The Express Tribune, 21 February, 2017 https://tribune.com.pk/story/1334606/pakistan-india-extend-nuclear-safety-agreement/)

Former Chinese nuclear engineer: ‘We’ve been transferring nuclear technology to Pakistan’

According to NTD TV, after two nuclear tests last year and a new ballistic missile launch on Feb. 12, North Korea has in-vited fresh denunciation and economic sanctions from the international commu-nity. Even China has been concerned as Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons threatens Beijing’s ability to rein in its capricious ally. In past years, the assistance North Korea received from Pakistan in developing its nuclear weap-ons has been well-publicized. In the 2005 article “New Players on the Scene: A.Q. Khan and the Nuclear Black Market,” U.S. Air Force Col. Charles D. Lutes revealed the role Islamabad played in spreading nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran. Now, insider sources in China have


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indicated it was Beijing that indirectly sup-plied North Korea by aiding Pakistan’s de-velopment of nuclear technology and gift-ing it critical raw materials. (Former Chi-nese nuclear engineer: ‘We’ve been trans-ferring nuclear technology to Pakistan’, NTD TV, 28 February, 2017, http://www.ntd.tv/2017/02/28/former-chinese-nuclear-engineer-weve-transferring-nuclear-technology-pakistan/)


Pakistan Condemns Latest missile test conducted by North Korea

According to Radio Pakistan, Pakistan has condemned the latest missile test con-ducted by the Democratic People’s Re-public of Korea in violation of the UN Se-curity Council Resolutions. Foreign Office Spokesman, in a statement in Islamabad today called upon North Korea to refrain from any step that undermines the pros-pects of regional peace and stability. The Spokesman also called upon the DPRK to refrain from actions which run counter to the objective of reaching a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the issue within the framework of the Six Party Talks. (Pakistan Condemns Latest missile test conducted by North Korea, Radio Paki-stan, 28 February, 2017, http://www.radio.gov.pk/14-Feb-2017/pakistan-condemn-latest-missile-test-conducted-by-north-korea)

Will Pakistan Buy Russia’s S-400 Missile Air Defense System

According to The Diplomat, Responding to the recent news that India and Russia will ink a contract in 2017 for the procure-ment of four to five regiments of Russian-made S-400 Triumf advanced Air Defense Systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21

Growler), the Pakistan military is now purportedly considering purchasing a number of S-400 units as well, a high-ranking Pakistan military official told Rus-sian state media on February 15. “Russia has good tanks, helicopters, electronic equipment, air defense systems that Pakistan may consider. S-400 is a big ticket number and it will all depend on our budget,” the military official told Sputnik News, the foreign language arm of Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Pakistan officially spends about $7 billion annually on defense, although the real number may be substantially higher, and is in the process of modernizing its mili-tary forces. Yet while the country’s econ-omy has grown a solid 4.7 percent in 2016 and is expected to continue to ex-pand by 5 percent in 2017 (partially due to Chinese investments under the Chi-nese-led China-Pakistan Economic Corri-dor) allowing for a modest military spending increase, the Pakistan military’s big ticket budget priorities are clearly on new combat aircraft, submarines, sur-face warships, and the country’s various indigenous missiles programs. (Will Paki-stan Buy Russia’s S-400 Missile Air De-fense System?, The Diplomat, 17 Febru-ary, 2017, http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/will-pakistan-buy-russias-s-400-missile-air-defense-system/)


Pakistan to Order 50 More Fighter Jets in 2017

According to The Diplomat, The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will likely place an order for 50 Pakistan Aeronautical Com-plex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Block-III fighter jets in the first half of 2017, according to PAC


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chairman Air Marshall Arshad Malik. The JF-17 is a lightweight, single-engine; multi-role combat aircraft, powered by a Rus-sian-designed-but-Chinese-built Klimov RD-93 (a RD-33 derivative) turbofan. The aircraft can reach a top speed of Mach 1.6 and reportedly has an operational range of 1,200 kilometres (745 miles).

The fighter jet features seven hard points and can carry up to 3,629 kilograms in weaponry and other payloads. The PAF is slated to induct 150 JF-17 combat aircraft over the next years split into three pro-duction blocks: Block-I, Block II, and Block-III. PAC has so far produced 50 Block-I aircraft and over 20 out of a total order of 50 Block-II JF-17s. According to the PAC chairman in an interview with Asian Military Review, Pakistan will pro-duce 14 additional JF-17 Block-II aircraft in 2017. (Pakistan to Order 50 More Fighter Jets in 2017, The Diplomat, 08 February, 2017, http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/pakistan-to-order-50-more-fighter-jets-in-2017/ )

Pakistan Goes All Out to Sell JF-17 Fighter Jet To Sri Lanka

According to The Sunday Leader, Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned in its at-tempt to somehow palm off the techni-cally inferior fighter aircraft JF-17 to the hapless Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), the ANI News Service reported. Efforts have been made by Islamabad for the past one year to convince the Sri Lankan govern-ment to purchase the aircraft that is jointly developed by Pakistan and China. Sri Lanka, aware of the technical short-comings and design flaws in the aircraft, had earlier decided not to consider the deal as previously reported by the Sri Lankan news site ‘The Sunday Leader’. (Pakistan Goes All Out To Sell JF-17 Fighter Jet To Sri Lanka, The Sunday Leader, 27 February, 2017,

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2017/02/19/pakistan-goes-all-out-to-sell-jf-17-fighter-jet-to-sri-lanka/)

Pakistan orders more AW139 copters

According to Pakistan Observer, Pakistan has ordered additional Agusta West land AW139 helicopters intermediate twin en-gine helicopters, confirmed Italian aero-space and defence firm Leonardo-Finmeccanica. The additional order was placed by the Ministry of Defence for an unspecified number of new helicopters. The helicopters are expected to perform search and rescue (SAR) and emergency medical service (EMS) duties in the coun-try. Deliveries for the helicopters are ex-pected to start from mid-2017, the de-fence company added.

“The AW139 is the perfect fit to Paki-stan’s operational environment, deliver-ing outstanding capabilities with hot and high performance unmatched by any other existing helicopter type in the same class,” said Leonardo. An agreement was signed and an initial order for the helicop-ter was placed in May 2016. The agree-ment was part of a fleet renewal pro-gramme spread over several stages and included a logistics support and training package. A total of 11 AW139s are already in service in Pakistan, with five aircraft operated for civil protection and trans-port tasks. (Pakistan orders more AW139 copters, Pakistan Observer, 23 February, 2017, http://pakobserver.net/pakistan-orders-more-aw139-copters/ )

Delivery Vehicle: Submarines

China, Russia, the U.S. Send Warships to Pakistan for naval drills

According to Value Walk, China and Rus-sia have joined Pakistan for its multina-tional AMAN 2017 Naval exercise amidst


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the India Navy’s largest military exercise ever, involving more than 60 ships, 5 sub-marines and 70 aircraft. The Pakistan Navy kicked off the naval drills on February 10, with China and Russia dispatching three ships each. The show of might between Pakistan and India comes amid heated tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Two weeks ago, Islamabad and New Delhi engaged in saber-rattling by entering a chilling war of nuclear-capable missile tests.

The AMAN 2017, which is held biannually and involves dozens of countries, will run through February 14 with the focus on training counterterrorism and counter-piracy operations at sea. With a total of 37 countries in participation, Russia and China have brought three ships each, while the United States dispatched four. Turkey, Australia, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have brought one ship each. Overall, a total of 15 ships are taking part in the naval exercises hosted this year. Japan, China’s traditional en-emy, is dispatching two of its P-3C Orion aircraft. Russia, Nigeria, Maldives and Ma-laysia have each dispatched Special Op-erations Forces detachments to partici-pate in the military drills. AMAN 2017 is the fifth installment of Pakistan’s multina-tional naval drills, as Islamabad previously held naval exercises in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.

According to The Indian Express, Russian Navy’s large anti-submarine ship Sever-morsk arrived in Pakistan February 8, for participation in the Aman 2017 interna-tional naval exercises, according to re-ports in news agency Xinhua. This is the second time within six months that Russia and Pakistan are holding joint military ex-ercises. The ship, that set off from Oman’s port of Salalah, will take part in the naval exercises scheduled on February 8, in the waters of the Arabian Sea and at the Paki-

stan Navy base located at the Karachi port. Navies from Australia, China, Indo-nesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States are participating in the joint exercise. (China, Russia, The U.S. Send Warships To Pakistan For Naval Drills, Value Walk, 10 February, 2017, http://www.valuewalk.com/2017/02/china-russia-us-pakistan-navy-drills/ )

Kelvin Hughes to provide Sharp Eye ra-dars for Pakistan's Khalid-class subma-rines

According to IHS Janes 360, Kelvin Hughes has been contracted by the Paki-stan Navy (PN) to supply the company's I-Band SharpEye Doppler submarine ra-dar system as part of a mid-life upgrade programme for the PN's Khalid-class (Agosta 90B) submarines, the UK-based manufacturer of maritime navigation, surveillance, and security radar systems said in a press release on 21 February. "Working with Turkish defence contrac-tor STM, the main contractor for the re-furbishment programme, Kelvin Hughes will supply the SharpEye system to the first submarine in 2018," said the com-pany. The PN currently operates three Khalid-class diesel-electric attack subma-rines, the latest of which was commis-sioned in 2008. According to Jane's Fighting Ships, Pakistan signed a contract with Turkish company STM in June 2016 to undertake a mid-life refit of one sub-marine with an option for the other two. (Kelvin Hughes to provide SharpEye ra-dars for Pakistan's Khalid-class subma-rines, IHS Janes 360, 23 February, 2017, http://www.janes.com/article/68120/kelvin-hughes-to-provide-sharpeye-radars-for-pakistan-s-khalid-class-submarines )

Space


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No updates

Other Vehicles

No updates

Nuclear

Pakistan Says 'Secret Nuclear City In In-dia,' Delhi Issues Strong Response

Pakistan’s foreign office said India is building a "secret nuclear city" to pro-duce thermonuclear weapons as well as developing intercontinental missiles and secretly stockpiling nuclear material on 09 February. India described the allega-tion as "a figment of Pakistan's imagina-tion" and an attempt to divert attention from its record of supporting terrorism. The comments about the "secret nuclear city" were made by Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria at a press conference, without providing evi-dence or further details.

"The so-called secret city appears to be a figment of the Pakistan (sic) imagination. India has always been in compliance with all its international obligations," said a statement from the External Affairs Min-istry, which highlighted India's strong standing internationally for a responsible nuclear doctrine. Pakistan's claim comes as India attempts to gain membership of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG, which control trade in sophisticated nuclear material and technology. (Pak Says 'Secret Nuclear City In India,' Delhi Issues Strong Response, NDTV, 09 Febru-ary, 2017, http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pak-says-secret-nuclear-city-in-india-delhi-issues-strong-response-1657804)

Uncertainty over U.S. nuclear plants for India

The Hindu reports that there is uncer-


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tainty surrounding the construction of U.S. nuclear reactors in India after Toshiba Corp decided to move out of the reactor building business. Officials said they were expecting some clarity in a month after Toshiba’s Board meeting. “We have not had anything on it officially. But what we read is that they will be completing the reactors that are under construction. We expect a decision after their Board meet-ing soon. Our discussion is going on. We don’t have a clear answer to this today, may be in a month,” Sekhar Basu, Secre-tary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), said.

Following the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, India has been in discussion with Toshiba’s U.S.-based Westinghouse since 2005 to build six AP1000 nuclear reactors. After pro-tracted negotiations and concerns on the nuclear liability there were hopes that a deal would be concluded soon. Last week, it was reported that Toshiba was planning to withdraw from building nuclear plants in the U.K. and India. Toshiba had ac-quired the U.S.-based Westinghouse, which specialises in nuclear reactors, in 2006.

Other officials said discussions were going on. The company’s offer on six reactors was very good, the officials said and hoped that the deal would continue. “Normally such big companies don’t shut down. We are hearing that someone will bankroll them — either the Japanese gov-ernment or the Japanese Development Bank,” one official said. The NPCIL and Westinghouse had agreed to “work to-wards finalising the arrangements by June 2017.” (Uncertainty over U.S. nuclear plants for India, The Hindu, 09 February, 2017, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/Uncertainty-over-U.S.-nuclear-plants-for-India/article17244276.ece )

Clampdown on unauthorised access to nuclear material: India's message to Pakistan

India called upon the international com-munity to clamp down on terrorism and prevent unauthorised access to nuclear material and technology in what could be seen as an indirect message to Pakistan's state and non-state actors who have threatened to use tactical nukes. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar while noting the grave threat posed by terrorism to inter-national security emphasised the need to clamp down on terrorism and prevent unauthorised access to nuclear material and technology.

"Events that have unfolded around us, more so in the past couple of decades, have highlighted that terrorism remains the most pervasive and serious challenge to international security. If access to nu-clear technology changes State behav-iour, it is only to be expected that it would also impact on non-state calcula-tions. Nuclear security, therefore, will be a continuing concern, especially as ter-rorist groups and non-state actors strike deeper roots and explore different ave-nues to spread terror. Developing a com-prehensive global response is the highest priority," opined the Foreign Secretary.

Jaishankar was speaking at the inaugura-tion of a three-day meeting of the Imple-mentation & Assessment Group (IAG) of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) here. Jaishankar com-mended the work of GICNT in building a world-wide network of experts and prac-titioners towards a holistic approach to nuclear security. GICNT is a voluntary in-ternational partnership of 86 nations and five international organisations that are committed to strengthening global ca-pacity to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear terrorism. (Clampdown on unau-thorised access to nuclear material: In-


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dia's message to Pakistan, Economic Times, 09 February, 2017, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/clampdown-on-unauthorised-access-to-nuclear-material-indias-message-to-pakistan/articleshow/57043793.cms )

Kakrapar nuclear reactors to get new coolant channels

According to the Business Standard, In-dia's atomic power plant operator NPCIL on January 31, 2017 said that it will replace the coolant channels in the two power reactors at Kakrapar Atomic Power Sta-tion (KAPS) in Gujarat at an outlay of around Rs 500 crore. "We have decided to replace the coolant channels of both the units. The work is on the project mode," Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Sharma told.

On the morning of March 11, 2016 the first reactor at KAPS shut down automatically following leakage of heavy water from its coolant channel. The leak was plugged ten days later. NPCIL has two 220 MW units at KAPS. Following the heavy water leak, unit 1 is under cold shut down. The second unit is under maintenance shut-down since July 2015.

A subsequent study by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) found unusual corrosion spots were found in the coolant channels in the power reactors. A 220 MW pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) like the one at KAPS has 306 coolant channels and each channel will have 12 fuel bundles. "In all 612 coolant channels in both the units will be changed," V.K.Jain, Station Director, KAPS-1 and 2 units told IANS. "The entire process would take around two-and-half years. First to go on stream would be the second unit and three or four months

later, the first unit would start generating power," he added. According to Jain, pur-chase orders for long delivery items have placed. (Kakrapar nuclear reactors to get new coolant channelsm Business Stan-dard, 31 January, 2017, http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/kakrapar-nuclear-reactors-to-get-new-coolant-channels-117013101325_1.html)

Government may allocate Rs 544 crore for two nuclear units at Kudankulam power plant

The government may allocate around Rs 544 crore for setting up of the next two 1,000 MW atomic power units at Ku-dankulam in Tamil Nadu. According to the budget papers presented in the Lok Sabha, the government may have to allo-cate $80 million (Rs 544 crore approxi-mately) for setting up of the fifth and sixth 1,000 MW nuclear power plant with Russian technology at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. Already two 1,000 MW units have been set up at Kudankulam and con-struction work for two more similar units have begun. A total of six 1,000 MW units are planned at Kudankulam and will be owned by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). Meanwhile NPCIL has been requested to prepare detailed pro-ject report (DPR) for setting up of 10 units of 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Wa-ter Reactors over the next 10-15 years. (Govt. may allocate Rs 544 crore for two nuclear units at Kudankulam power plant, Hindustan Times, 01 February, 2017, http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/govt-may-allocate-rs-544-crore-for-two-nuclear-units-at-kudankulam-power-plant/story-eJ4xk0M8qAF7hG6Kaly4oN.html )


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With Akash missile sale, India is likely to provoke China

According to Asian Age, India is in talks to sell short range surface-to-air missiles to Vietnam, the head of the defence re-search agency said, in what would be its first transfer of such weapons to the Southeast Asian country. India has been helping the Vietnamese military with train-ing and patrol vessels, but a further deep-ening of ties with missile sales could draw criticism from China that has been locked in a territorial dispute with Hanoi in the South China Sea. New Delhi is currently talking to a number of countries for sales of its surface-to-air Akash missiles, said S. Christopher, chairman of state-run De-fence Research and Development Organi-sation (DRDO).

The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to establish India as an arms exporter. "We are talking to countries, one of them is none other than Vietnam," he told a news conference on the sidelines of an air show where the DRDO is showcasing its missile pro-grammes and other key projects, includ-ing a home-grown light combat fighter. Christopher did not provide any details of how many Akash missile batteries the government planned to supply Vietnam.

Vietnam is in the midst of a quiet military buildup that analysts say is designed as a deterrent, to secure its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone as China grows more assertive in staking its claims in the South China Sea.

Experts say Vietnam is in the market for fighter jets and more advanced missile systems, in addition to the kilo-class sub-marines it has bought from Russia. India, whose long-running border dispute with China remains unresolved, has in the past considered the sale of its Brahmos super-sonic missile with a range of 290 km to Vietnam and has been steadily helping Hanoi beef up its defences. Last year, PM Modi announced a $500 million credit line to Vietnam to buy defence equip-ment, on top of a $100 million given pre-viously to help it buy patrol boats. The two sides have also agreed for training of Vietnamese air force pilots to operate Su-30 Russian fighter planes. (With Akash missile sale, India is likely to provoke China, Asian Age, 16 February, 2017, http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/160217/with-akash-missile-sale-india-is-likely-to-provoke-china.html )

Raytheon, TASL to co-produce Stinger missile components

According to the India Today, TASL (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons) could produce components of the Stinger missile in India under the Memo-randum of Understanding. Stinger has both surface-to-air and air-to-air applica-tions against a variety of airborne tar-gets. "This collaboration with Raytheon is in keeping with other partnerships that TASL has with global leaders in the de-fense and aerospace sector. We look for-ward to becoming a key contributor to


Source: Asian Age

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the Stinger missile for India," TASL chief executive officer and managing director Sukaran Singh said.

TASL will seek to expand its relationship to other missile systems and technolo-gies, and contribute to the progressive implementation of the Make in India ini-tiative to address multiple objectives of the government, such as value addition, employment, and control over key tech-nologies. In 2016, India was one of three international customers to order Stinger missiles. India will equip its AH-64 Apache helicopters soon to enter service with the Indian Air Force. (Raytheon, TASL to co-produce Stinger missile components, In-dia Today, 17 February, 2017, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/raytheon-tasl-to-co-produce-stinger-missile-components/1/885233.html )

Supersonic BrahMos Russian-Indian Mis-sile Upgraded to Be Launched From Fighters

India is due to test the air-launched ver-sion of the supersonic Russian-Indian BrahMos cruise missile in the next three months, according to the Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The Russian newspaper quoted Sudhir Kumar Mishra, chief executive of the Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, as saying that India will test-fire the air-launched version of his com-pany's supersonic Russian-Indian Brah-Mos cruise missile in the next three months. Mishra also said that the hyper-sonic version of the BrahMos missile, ca-pable of flying at a speed of up to 5,000 kilometres per hour, may be created by 2020. The 2.5 metric ton supersonic Brah-mos air-to-ground missile will be fired from an Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft that has already under-gone modifications to accommodate the new weapon.

If the air-launched version of the Brah-Mos missile is successful, Russia and India may get a strike system which will be sec-ond to none in terms of effectiveness among conventional airborne weapons, Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted experts as saying. As for the supersonic version of the BrahMos missile, it is expected to be created before the end of 2019, Mishra said, adding that the project is being de-veloped by Mashinostroyeniya rocket design, a Russian NPO bureau, the Mos-cow Aviation Institute and India's De-fense Research and Development Organi-zation. (Supersonic BrahMos Russian-Indian Missile Upgraded to Be Launched From Fighters, Sputnik International, 13 February, 2017, https://sputniknews.com/military/201702131050628877-russia-india-brahmos-missile/)

India tests nuclear interceptor missile

Enhancing its capability to dealing with a nuclear attack threat, India successfully test fired a Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) interceptor missile designed to intercept and destroy hostile ballistic missiles in space even before they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on 14 February. The test took place at 7.45 a.m., and an in-coming missile was successfully inter-cepted at a height of 100 km with a direct hit by an interceptor missile, said a De-fence Research and Development Organi-sation (DRDO) official. The PDV can reach even higher altitudes.

"India successfully conducted a test wherein an incoming ballistic missile tar-get was intercepted by an exo-atmospheric interceptor missile off the Bay of Bengal," an official statement said. "With this commendable scientific achievement, India has crossed an impor-tant milestone in building its overall capa-bility towards enhanced security against


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incoming ballistic missile threats. It has entered an exclusive club of four nations with developing capabilities to secure its skies and cities against hostile threats," it said.

The two stage PDV missile is part of the two layered Ballistic Missile Defence sys-tem developed by the DRDO, the research and development wing of the Defence Ministry, with the Hyderabad based Re-search Centre Imaarat (RCI) as the nodal laboratory. Its interception window spans from 80-120 km. The fully automated sys-tem consists of a network of sensors, computers and launchers, designed to intercept hostile ballistic missiles, possibly carrying nuclear weapons and destroy them before they can cause any damage. This was the second test of the PDV. (India tests nuclear interceptor missile, Business Standard, 11 February, 2017, http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/india-tests-nuclear-interceptor-missile-117021100584_1.html )


India to give new wings to 3 aircraft pro-grammes

According to the Times of India, The re-newed thrust for regional connectivity and the Indian Air Force's need to replace some of its transport aircraft will see India revive three aircraft programmes, all be-ing designed in Bengaluru:

1. The re-engined and modified ver-sion of the 14-seater Saras aircraft. Na-tional Laboratories Limited (NAL), which first conceived Saras as a civil aircraft, has been pushing for military certification in the past two years, hoping to sell the air-craft to the IAF. Saras, a light transport aircraft, was handed over to the Aircraft

and Systems Testing Establishment of IAF, and NAL is hopeful of its first flight in 45 days. The modified Saras will have a new configuration. While the design is for a 14-seater plane, it can be configured to accommodate 19. If the project is re-vived, Saras will boast of multi-role capa-bilities like feeder line aircraft, air ambu-lance, executive aircraft, troop transport, reconnaissance, aerial survey and light cargo transport. The Saras programme had come crashing after a 2009 accident. The original design included a maximum takeoff weight of 6,100kg and maximum payload of 1,232kg. The first prototype which completed its maiden flight on May 29, 2004, was overweight at 5,118kg compared to the 4,125kg design specifi-cations.

2. The 70-seater aircraft pro-gramme -which has consistently failed to take off from the drawing board -will also be revived. As of now, only a paper design is complete as the project was shelved three years ago. The aircraft will now be reconfigured, given that the re-gional transport police will require capac-ity building. When the project was shelved, NAL projected an estimated cost of Rs 9,000 crore. The aircraft, which will be capable of short takeoff, will be able to operate from smaller air-fields and airports that the Regional Con-nectivity Policy is aiming to revive. Part of the reconfiguration will be looking at a next-generation turbo prop engine.

3. NM5-100, the 5-seater aircraft jointly developed by NAL and Mahindra Aerospace, being tested in Australia since 201112 after it was felt that the Di-rector General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) lacked the expertise to certify aircraft, will be brought back to India for certifica-tion. There have been 12 flights in Austra-lia. Now the DGCA has improved and they have about 20 engineers in Ben-


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galuru. (India to give new wings to 3 air-craft programmes, Times of India, 17 Feb-ruary, 2017, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/india-to-give-new-wings-to-3-aircraft-programmes/articleshow/57197428.cms)

India Turns Down British Advanced Air-craft

According to the Sputnik International, New Delhi’s Air Force has decided not to make an acquisition request for the Brit-ish Advanced Hawk trainer aircraft follow-ing a request from India’s Defence Minis-try, due to a recent bribery scandal. Brit-ish engineering company Rolls Royce, which produces the Hawk, was accused of bribing officials at Hindustan Aeronau-tics Limited, an Indian state-owned com-pany, between 2005 and 2009, acting as middlemen by ensuring that the Air Force used them to source Adour Mk aero en-gines for the 132 British Hawk advanced jet trainers.

A senior official with IAF said, "We will not make any formal request for the Ad-vanced Hawk to HAL, and the program will be officially shelved. This is because the MoD does not want [to] give addi-tional orders for engines to tainted Rolls-Royce for the Advanced Hawk pro-gram…"IAF has no intentions to place any order for the Advanced Hawk train-ers." In 2015 HAL and BAE Systems, an-other British weapons manufacturer, signed a memorandum of understanding to develop and produce a trainer with combat capabilities for export and do-mestic markets.

Dave Corfield, head of India’s Hawk pro-gram for BAE, said that, "The Advanced Hawk has been in the works for two years under a unique model with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and BAE Systems is

pooling resources to develop a faster, more agile Hawk that can also carry smart weapons," adding that wings, avi-onics and a multi-function display system were all supplied by HAL. The Advanced Hawk can tote up to three tons of weap-ons, according to BAE, including laser designation pods, precision-guided muni-tions, air-to-air missiles, and air-to-ground missiles. (No Thanks: India Turns Down British Advanced Aircraft, Sputnik Inter-national, 24 February, 2017 https://sputniknews.com/military/201702241050996766-india-declines-british-advanced-hawk/)

With Sukhoi-30 firing BrahMos in April, India can conduct surgical strike 300 km away

While the first carriage flight of Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft with BrahMos mis-sile—only a dummy drop—was success-fully achieved in June 2016, the firing of the actual supersonic missile is now scheduled for April, as reported by Times of India. This integration will allow India to order surgical strikes destroying tar-gets about 300 km away. A senior officer privy to the testing process told TOI: "The testing is in the advanced stages. A few minor marrying issues (integrating Indian systems with the Russian aircraft) are being sorted out. We are confident that the fighter and the missile will be ready for a flight in April."

When the Su-30MKI becomes operational with BrahMos missiles, it will provide the Indian Air Force with its most lethal fight-ing power till date. Indian pilots will no longer be required to fly to heavily de-fended airspace to strike enemy fighter bases, or targets like terrorist camps, nu-clear installations and military headquar-ters. "Out fighters can launch this missile about 300-km from their target and re-turn to safety. The missile will take care


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of the rest," a senior pilot who flies the Su-30s for IAF said.

The project, which was first conceived in 2012, saw defence PSU Hindustan Aero-nautics Limited (HAL) take more than two years to handover a modified Su-30MKI which could be integrated with the mis-sile. After that was achieved, the process of integration began and the team, in 2015, ran into some certification issues. Brahmos Aerospace, the lead agency for the integration, was yet to complete the certification of the launcher that would launch the missile then. The IAF's initial requirement is for two Su-30 MKIs with BrahMos, but it eventually wishes to inte-grate 216 missiles on 42 Sukhoi fighters. The project was first conceived in July-August 2012.(With Sukhoi-30 firing Brah-Mos in April, India can conduct surgical strike 300 km away, Times of India, 23 February, 2017, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sukhoi-30-to-fire-actual-brahmos-missile-in-april/articleshow/57315112.cms )

Russia to join India’s project to develop 5th-generation combat aircraft

According to TASS, Russia will take part in the project to develop India’s fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy of Rus-sia’s state hi-tech corporation Rostec Vik-tor Kladov said. According to public sources, the work on the AMCA began in 2008. The fifth-generation multipurpose fighter jet is expected to replace a whole range of warplanes in the Indian Air Force. Media reports said the first flight was scheduled for 2023-2024. (Russia to join India’s project to develop 5th-generation combat aircraft, TASS Russian News Agency, 17 February, 2017, http://tass.com/defense/931198\)

India Showcases New Advanced Hawk Aircraft

The Indian Air Force embraced the op-portunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the Advanced Hawk training aircraft, designed and produced by UK-based BAE Systems, at the Aero India conference held in January, as reported by Sputnik International. The trainer aircraft is a prime example of the British weapons manufacturer’s commitment to Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s “Make-in-India” concept, said Alan Garwood of BAE Systems. The “Advanced Hawk is a great example of Make-in-India, for India and Export from India,” said Garwood in a company statement.

BAE Systems teamed with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to make the demon-stration possible. “The UK and India have so much to offer one another in de-fence,” said Harriet Baldwin MP, the UK Minister for Defence Procurement, fol-lowing the event. The Advanced Hawk, which is capable of being outfitted with real weapons, allows pilots to easily tran-


Source: Times of India

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sition from the trainer to F-35s or other cutting-edge aircraft, according to BAE Systems.

The new features of the Advanced Hawk enable training activities currently per-formed on frontline fighter aircraft to be undertaken on the updated air platform. The weapons suite was reported by IHS Jane’s to include Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air missiles, Brimstone air-to-surface missiles, Paveway laser guided bombs, and Isreali Rafael targeting pods. India is the number-one operator of Hawk trainers, having ordered 123 Hawk aircraft to date. The aircraft are built in Ben-galuru, and “fulfil the Indian Air Force’s requirements for its prestigious aerobatic team,” according to a statement. (India Showcases New Advanced Hawk Aircraft, Sputnik International, 18 February, 2017, https://sputniknews.com/military/201702181050808415-india-showcase-advanced-hawk-aircraft/)

Delivery Vehicles: Submarine

Indian Navy Practices Sinking Chinese Subs in Largest-Ever Military Exercise

According to The Diplomat, the Indian Navy is in the middle of conducting a 30-

day naval drill—the Navy’s largest mili-tary exercise ever—off India’s western coast, involving over 60 ships, five sub-marines, and 70 aircraft. This year’s so-called Theater Readiness Operational Ex-ercise (TROPEX) 2017 “is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the In-dian Coast Guard” and “will also strengthen inter-operability and joint op-erations in a complex environment,” ac-cording to the Indian Ministry of Defense.

The exercise involves practicing various anti-submarine warfare scenarios with Indian diesel-electric attack submarines standing in for People’s Liberation Army Navy and Pakistan Navy submarines. Ac-cording to local media reports, the INS Chakra, a Russian-made Akula-class nu-clear-powered attack submarine, has been hunting “enemy” submarines 200 kilometres off Goa’s coast for the past few days.

The Indian Navy is also deploying its most advanced maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft, the P-8I Neptune, to support the INS Chakra and track subma-rines during the exercise. China has


Source: Sputnik International

Source: Indian Navy

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stepped up its submarine patrols in the Indian Ocean over the past two years as well as its surface naval presence. Further-more, China is slated to provide the Paki-stan Navy with eight modified diesel-electric attack submarines by 2028. As I reported before, Beijing has also purport-edly resumed construction of Type 039B Yuan-class diesel-electric attack subma-rines (SSK)–one of the quietest submarine classes in the Chinese Navy’s arsenal. (Indian Navy Practices Sinking Chinese Subs in Largest-Ever Military Exercise, The Diplomat, 10 February, 2017, http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/indian-navy-practices-sinking-chinese-subs-in-largest-ever-military-exercise/)

Space

India puts record 104 satellites into orbit in single mission

India created a world record by success-fully putting into orbit 104 satellites, in-cluding the country's own Cartosat-2earth observation satellite, in a single mission on 17 February. With the launch, ISRO sur-passed the 37 satellite launch record set by a Russian rocket on June 19, 2014. The co-passenger satellites comprised 101 nano satellites, one each from Israel, Ka-zakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UAE and 96 from the US, as well as two nano satellites from the US, as well as two nano satellites from India.

Source: ISRO

The total weight of all the satellites car-ried on-board is about 1,378 kg. Multiple satellite launches with a PSLV rocket is not new for ISRO, having launched 20 sat-

ellites on June 22, 2016. "One hundred and four satellites have been put into orbit," Indian Space Research Organisa-tion (ISRO) Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said soon after the launch, congratulat-ing the space agency's team on its suc-cess. (India puts record 104 satellites into orbit in single mission, Economic Times, February, 2017, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/india-puts-record-104-satellites-into-orbit-in-single-mission/articleshow/57197628.cms)

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