Wars & Rumours of Wars

nivek

As Above So Below

Russia evacuates 3,000 residents from Belgorod after its warplanes accidentally dropped SECOND unexploded bomb on its own city in 'technical glitch' - as Putin angrily expels 20 German diplomats

More than 3,000 Russian civilians have been evacuated after the discovery of an unexploded bomb - believed to have been dropped by one of Vladimir Putin's own warplanes - after a second went off in a huge explosion earlier this week.

Residents of seventeen apartment blocks in Belgorod, which is just over the border with Ukraine, were evacuated after a 500 kg explosive device was found within 650 feet of their buildings.

The major blunder follows a bomb going off in the city after it was accidentally dropped by an Su-34 Russian fighter-bomber, causing a powerful blast which saw several people injured.

The new bomb is believed to be the same type as the first - a Soviet-designed FAB-500M62 with a high-explosive warhead - capable of causing utter devastation and which was undoubtedly destined for Ukraine.

The embarrassing admission comes as Moscow has ramped up its diplomatic battle with the west, with more than 20 German officials being angrily expelled by the Kremlin in what it called a 'reciprocal' move.


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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Japan's Converted F-35B Carrier Leaves Dock Sporting New Bow

They made another Kaga. Last one \was part of the Pearl Harbor raid and was sunk seven months later at Midway. Having them on our side is comforting. The name caught me by surprise.

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Japan’s Converted F-35B Carrier Leaves Dock Sporting New Bow​

Leaving the dock where conversion work has been underway represents a big step forward in turning the JS Kaga into an F-35B carrier.
BYOLIVER PARKEN|PUBLISHED APR 21, 2023 6:01 PM EDT
THE WAR ZONE
Japan’s Converted F-35B Carrier Leaves Dock Sporting New Bow

Photo credit: @betafujihara via Twitter.
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OLIVER PARKENView Oliver Parken's Articles


New images show the heavily modified bow of Japan’s Izumo class JS Kaga (DDH-184) ‘helicopter-carrying destroyer’ as the vessel left its dock recently. Kaga is currently being turned into an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter carrier for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Photos of the vessel pulling away from its dock in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture accompanied by various tugboats began circulating online around April 19. According to Naval News, the first set of modifications to Kaga (originally slated to end in March) included changing the shape of the vessel's bow section and applying a heat-resistant coating to its deck. The next set of modifications, which will involve re-balancing and structurally reinforcing Kaga's hull, are expected to be completed by March 2024.
Overall, work on turning Kaga into an F-35B carrier is expected to continue until early 2027, USNI News states. JS Kaga was originally launched in 2015 and commissioned in 2017.

The images above, along with ones taken earlier in April this year and from late 2022, reveal that the ship’s bow has radically changed. It looks to be significantly wider, owing to its optimization for the short takeoff and landing (STOL) capable F-35B. Moreover, the Phalanx 20mm close-in weapon system (CIWS) previously seen to the front of the vessel has also been removed, likely to help accommodate F-35Bs taking off and to provide more deck space for flight operations. Earlier images also show what appear to be white tent-like structures pitched on the vessel’s deck, which would be connected to other ongoing modifications being made.

Back in 2018, the Japanese government decided to modify its two Izumo class carriers to allow them to operate F-35Bs. As The War Zone previously argued, these ambitions were long-harbored despite public statements to the contrary by Japanese officials.
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JS Kaga arriving at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 18, 2018. Note the bow design before the remodeling. Photo by Andrew Lotulung/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The modification work for both ships is split into two phases. As Naval News highlights, the first-in-class JS Izumo,completed its first phase modifications back in 2021. So far the ship, which was commissioned in 2015, has received a heat-resistant flight deck to cope with the F-35B’s exhaust, alongside alterations to the lighting and deck markings. The second phase of modifications, set to begin in March 2025, will see Izumo reconfigured with a squared-off flight deck, now sported by Kaga. Modifications on Izumo are also set to wrap up by 2027. Recently, Raytheon announced that it would be delivering the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System, or JPALS, to Izumo – providing guidance in all weather and surface conditions for F-35B aircraft, which have JPALS integrated.
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Members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Blue Impulse fly over the Japanese escort ship JS Izumo during the "International Fleet Review", held by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force with some 12 other countries, at Sagami Bay off Kanagawa Prefecture, November 6, 2022. Photo by STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images
As The War Zone reported at the time, Izumo has already performed proof of concept tests with U.S. Marine Corps F-35B jets. During these trials, which occurred in late 2021, USMC F-35Bs undertook very short takeoffs, owing to the vessel’s unmodified flight deck.


As the tests with USMC F-35Bs suggest, modifications to the Izumo class vessels are being made that could also increase interoperability with Japan’s allies using F-35B aircraft. This not only includes the U.S. but potentially extends to Singapore. Like Japan, South Korea had previously planned to convert its Dokdo class amphibious assault ship – classified as landing platform helicopters (LPH) – into F-35B carriers. More recent funding cuts in favor of submarine procurement have thrown those plans into doubt, however, as well as that country’s commitment to procuring F-35Bs.
Moreover, Tokyo has also chosen to adapt its Izumo class vessels due to its future commitment to the F-35B. According to Lockheed Martin, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or JASDF, has an established program of record of 147 F-35 Aircraft – consisting of 105 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and up to 42 F-35B models. The JASDF F-35Bs, which Japan has yet to take delivery of, will equip the Izumo class vessels.
These and other changes in Japan’s naval priorities – as well as Japan's recent commitment to increased defense spending – come amid broader tensions in relation to China’s growing naval capabilities of late. As The War Zone has previously indicated, Japan has a particular stake in protecting the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The islands would likely prove to be vulnerable during a potential conflict, and their protection could benefit from F-35Bs launched from Izumo class carriers. China’s own carrier fleet has also been growing in recent years. The country launched its Type 003 aircraft carrier in 2022 and its first Type 075 landing helicopter dock amphibious assault ship in 2019.
Maybe more than anything else, the conversion of these vessels into true carriers is emblematic of Japan's shift from upholding a strictly defensive military posture to one that includes power projection and all the geopolitical changes that come with it.
Contact the author: oliver@thewarzone.com
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Sudan's warring generals agree to a three-day ceasefire starting tonight as Rishi Sunak considers Dunkirk-style evacuation for thousands of stranded UK citizens - while five Brits are taken to safety on Saudi ship

Sudan's warring generals agree to a three-day nationwide ceasefire starting tonight, US
Terrified civilians in Sudan have been offered a three-day reprieve from the hostilities after a ceasefire was agreed by the two military factions vying for control of the east African nation. A Dunkirk-style evacuation of thousands of British nationals from Sudan is also being considered by Rishi Sunak.

The Prime Minister’s huge decision comes amid intense criticism of the UK’s failure to protect terrified families trapped amid the fighting. While other European countries have rescued hundreds of their citizens, Britain has only extracted diplomats and their dependents. They were escorted by Special Air Service troops from Khartoum to an airbase 20 miles north of the capital on Sunday. There they boarded RAF aircraft and were flown to a British base in Cyprus.

As many as 2,000 UK citizens remain in the city as the fighting continues and a humanitarian crisis worsens. Food and medical supplies are becoming increasingly scarce and gunmen are roaming the streets. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Sudan's warring generals had agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting today, after previous bids to pause the conflict quickly disintegrated.


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AD1184

Celestial

Sudan's warring generals agree to a three-day ceasefire starting tonight as Rishi Sunak considers Dunkirk-style evacuation for thousands of stranded UK citizens - while five Brits are taken to safety on Saudi ship

Sudan's warring generals agree to a three-day nationwide ceasefire starting tonight, US's warring generals agree to a three-day nationwide ceasefire starting tonight, US
Terrified civilians in Sudan have been offered a three-day reprieve from the hostilities after a ceasefire was agreed by the two military factions vying for control of the east African nation. A Dunkirk-style evacuation of thousands of British nationals from Sudan is also being considered by Rishi Sunak.

The Prime Minister’s huge decision comes amid intense criticism of the UK’s failure to protect terrified families trapped amid the fighting. While other European countries have rescued hundreds of their citizens, Britain has only extracted diplomats and their dependents. They were escorted by Special Air Service troops from Khartoum to an airbase 20 miles north of the capital on Sunday. There they boarded RAF aircraft and were flown to a British base in Cyprus.

As many as 2,000 UK citizens remain in the city as the fighting continues and a humanitarian crisis worsens. Food and medical supplies are becoming increasingly scarce and gunmen are roaming the streets. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Sudan's warring generals had agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting today, after previous bids to pause the conflict quickly disintegrated.


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This shows the absurdity of the British state's decades-long policy of mass immigration. Up to 4,000 "British" people are in Sudan and might want evacuating, at the cost of untold millions of pounds. People who do not work in this country and do not contribute to its tax revenue, but who have been handed at some point in the past a British passport and now want the British tax payer to come bail them out of their--until recently--preferred living arrangements.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
In a similar vein, we are sending billions abroad and being literally overrun with illegal migrants that place a strain on systems they do not contribute to and yet entitlement programs for citizens who have paid into them over a lifetime are in question
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
The first humans in North America, so called Clovis culture, were actually Russians :) from a region of around lake Baikal in Siberia.

 

nivek

As Above So Below

Houston holds week-long NUCLEAR training exercise led by the FBI and the military to learn how best to deal with a nuke dropped on a US city

Houston will host a series of 'large-scale' nuclear training drills this week as the military war games the unthinkable.

The FBI has warned residents of Harris County and southeast Houston that 'multi-agency' exercises will be carried out from Monday to Friday to simulate a nuclear attack.

The agency reassured the public there was no need to be alarmed by the presence of 'military personnel and aircraft, and people in protective equipment'.

It comes amid growing threats from North Korea and Russia and analysis that shows a missile from Pyongyang could kill around 130,000 people if dropped on Houston.

Fatal radioactive fallout from a North Korean missile tested in 2017 would cover an area of around 3 sq-km, engulfing landmarks such as the Downtown Aquarium and the George H. W. Bush Monument, according to NukeMap, a tool developed by nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein.

Analysis that shows a nuclear attack on Houston from North Korea could kill around 130,000


A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)

A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)


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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable

Houston holds week-long NUCLEAR training exercise led by the FBI and the military to learn how best to deal with a nuke dropped on a US city

Houston will host a series of 'large-scale' nuclear training drills this week as the military war games the unthinkable.

The FBI has warned residents of Harris County and southeast Houston that 'multi-agency' exercises will be carried out from Monday to Friday to simulate a nuclear attack.

The agency reassured the public there was no need to be alarmed by the presence of 'military personnel and aircraft, and people in protective equipment'.

It comes amid growing threats from North Korea and Russia and analysis that shows a missile from Pyongyang could kill around 130,000 people if dropped on Houston.

Fatal radioactive fallout from a North Korean missile tested in 2017 would cover an area of around 3 sq-km, engulfing landmarks such as the Downtown Aquarium and the George H. W. Bush Monument, according to NukeMap, a tool developed by nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein.

Analysis that shows a nuclear attack on Houston from North Korea could kill around 130,000


A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)

A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)


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I spent a couple weeks in Houston about 20 years ago. That might be the urban renovation it needs.....
 

nivek

As Above So Below

China tightens stranglehold on Latin America and Caribbean... as Biden dithers: Generals warn that Beijing has built a SPACE STATION in Argentina that could blind US, signed 21 countries up to trade pact and bought key ports on Panama Canal

As headlines about the frosty relationship between China and the United States are dominated by spy balloons, Taiwan and botched attempts at diplomacy, commanders in the Pentagon are increasingly worried by a more insidious threat: Beijing's growing stronghold on Latin America.

From tens of billions of dollars in funding for key infrastructure projects across the region to its own secretive, military-run space station in Argentina that could target American satellites, China's presence has grown.

Some 21 countries in Latin America are signed up to Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative - a defining policy introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2013 that wins power and influence by funding global infrastructure projects.

Chinese state banks have loaned $136 billion to Latin American countries since 2005 with terms US officials have dubbed a 'spiraling trap'. The cash has funded everything from major energy projects to roads, sports stadiums and covid vaccines.

Meanwhile, private Chinese firms control major ports on the Panama Canal which US officials say 'could be turned quickly toward military capabilities'. They supply the majority of Mexico's telecoms equipment and mine vast amounts of crucial minerals on the continent.

From tens of billions of dollars in funding for key infrastructure projects across the region to its own secretive, military-run space station in Argentina that could target American satellites, China's presence in Latin American and the Caribbean has grown huge


And as China's influence has increased, America's has diminished.

This ongoing power shift has triggered consternation of political and military leaders who no longer hide their frustration.

General Laura Richardson, the head of US Southern Command, told a House Armed Services Committee Hearing in March: 'The [People's Republic of China] has the capability and intent to eschew international norms, advance its brand of authoritarianism, and amass power and influence at the expense of these democracies.

'The PRC has expanded its ability to extract resources, establish port, manipulate governments through predatory investment practices, and build potential dual-use space facilities — the most space facilities in any combatant command region.'

Richardson also said previously that President Xi calls leaders across the region 'all the time' to strengthen relations - and issued a veiled criticism of Washington's attempts at diplomacy.

'We need to do the same,' she said. 'And I think we can do better in that respect.'

She has also criticized the fact many major players in the region, including Brazil, Panama and Chile, have spent years with no US ambassador in place.


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nivek

As Above So Below
:ohmy8::mad:x...3

Russia considers rounding up stray dogs and using them to clear landmines in Ukraine

Russia is examining a plan to round up stray dogs and use them to clear landmines in Ukraine.

Many towns and cities have problems with rejected pets and street dogs that hunt in packs.

The Russian parliament gave a first reading to legislation allowing 'euthanasia' of homeless dogs.

But senior pro-Putin MP Fedot Tumusov, 67, demanded 'large and aggressive' strays should be trained by specialists for war work.

Such a role clearing mines would put their lives in acute danger.

'We have a lot of dog experts in our country who can teach [strays] all sorts of different skills,' said the politician.

He asked the government if 'dog experts could train large and aggressive dogs and send them to the SMO [war] zone'.

SMO refers to the 'special military operation' that Russia uses for the invasion of Ukraine, where it strives for the 'demilitarisation and denazification' the country.

The Just Russia party MP said: 'Let them help pull out the wounded, and participate in mine clearance.'


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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
:ohmy8::mad:x...3

Russia considers rounding up stray dogs and using them to clear landmines in Ukraine

Russia is examining a plan to round up stray dogs and use them to clear landmines in Ukraine.

Many towns and cities have problems with rejected pets and street dogs that hunt in packs.

The Russian parliament gave a first reading to legislation allowing 'euthanasia' of homeless dogs.

But senior pro-Putin MP Fedot Tumusov, 67, demanded 'large and aggressive' strays should be trained by specialists for war work.

Such a role clearing mines would put their lives in acute danger.

'We have a lot of dog experts in our country who can teach [strays] all sorts of different skills,' said the politician.

He asked the government if 'dog experts could train large and aggressive dogs and send them to the SMO [war] zone'.

SMO refers to the 'special military operation' that Russia uses for the invasion of Ukraine, where it strives for the 'demilitarisation and denazification' the country.

The Just Russia party MP said: 'Let them help pull out the wounded, and participate in mine clearance.'


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Straight out of WW2, except they trained dogs to run to tanks looking for food - with a mine strapped to their backs.
 

AD1184

Celestial

Sounds like total bunkum. An explanation for the lack of availability of the website is that it is simply not sufficiently well-resourced to deal with a massive amount of traffic directed toward it thanks to an internet rumour. Every single active connection to such a service requires the engagement of physical resources, which are finite. It is common for services across the web to be suddenly overwhelmed by too many requests that are far more numerous than what they normally deal with, all from people directed to them because of some viral piece of (mis)information that has been spread through social media.

I was able to use the 'advanced' map on the website:


There is no evidence of a radioactive cloud from Ukraine. The destruction of a supply of depleted uranium rounds (what is the source for this claim?) is not a significant radiological threat, as the rounds are depleted uranium, with the more strongly radioactive U235 isotope largely removed. The remaining U238 has a half-life of some four billion years, meaning that it is not particularly radioactive. Depleted uranium (U238) may have some chemical toxicity, like other heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, but it is not a radiological hazard.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Taliban and Iranian troops exchange heavy gunfire across Islamic Republic-Afghanistan border killing and wounding troops in rapid escalation of tensions over water rights

The Taliban and Iranian troops have exchanged gunfire across the Islamic Republic's border with Afghanistan, killing and wounding troops.

The clashes represent a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two countries amid a dispute over water rights in the region, with both sides trading blame for the eruption of cross-border violence.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the country's deputy police chief, Gen. Qassem Rezaei, accusing the Taliban of opening fire first Saturday morning on the border of Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province and the Afghan province of Nimroz.

IRNA said Iran inflicted 'heavy casualties and serious damage.'

From the Taliban's view, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor accused Iran of shooting first.

Takor said the firefight killed two people, one from each country, and wounded others. He described the situation as now being under control.

IRNA, quoting Iranian police, said two border guards had been killed. However, that number may be higher. The semiofficial, English-language newspaper Tehran Times said the fighting killed three Iranian border guards.

IRNA said the Milak border crossing with Afghanistan, a major trade route, was closed until further notice over the gunfight.


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wwkirk

Divine

Taliban and Iranian troops exchange heavy gunfire across Islamic Republic-Afghanistan border killing and wounding troops in rapid escalation of tensions over water rights

The Taliban and Iranian troops have exchanged gunfire across the Islamic Republic's border with Afghanistan, killing and wounding troops.

The clashes represent a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two countries amid a dispute over water rights in the region, with both sides trading blame for the eruption of cross-border violence.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the country's deputy police chief, Gen. Qassem Rezaei, accusing the Taliban of opening fire first Saturday morning on the border of Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province and the Afghan province of Nimroz.

IRNA said Iran inflicted 'heavy casualties and serious damage.'

From the Taliban's view, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor accused Iran of shooting first.

Takor said the firefight killed two people, one from each country, and wounded others. He described the situation as now being under control.

IRNA, quoting Iranian police, said two border guards had been killed. However, that number may be higher. The semiofficial, English-language newspaper Tehran Times said the fighting killed three Iranian border guards.

IRNA said the Milak border crossing with Afghanistan, a major trade route, was closed until further notice over the gunfight.


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No problem with this. Like when two gangs have a shootout. Unless innocent bystanders get hit, of course.
 
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