Rattled by Iran, Arab Regimes Draw Closer

Farzad-USA

Bench Warmer
Apr 4, 2007
2,329
0
rooyesh.blog.com
#1
"The Emirati air force can now take out Iran's air force," Petraeus said.

(Is this true?)


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been "the best recruiting officer" for U.S. military efforts to partner with Arab states over the past year. That's according to General David Petraeus, who as commander of Centcom is responsible for overseeing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and security efforts throughout the region. "There were certain countries which used to hold us at arm's length that have over the last year embraced Central Command in certain cooperative endeavors," Petraeus told TIME in an interview on Dec. 13, citing ballistic-missile defense agreements and shared early-warning systems. "Ahmadinejad's rhetoric is very alarming among countries in this region."

What's been good for Centcom has also been good for the high-tech U.S. arms industry. Despite the global recession, Arab states have signed huge deals for U.S. military hardware, whose sophistication has been on full display in two long wars in the neighborhood. Petraeus said countries in the region now deploy eight Patriot missile-interceptor batteries — up from zero a few years ago — made by Raytheon Corp. And the Pentagon last month announced that Kuwait had ordered upgrades of its Patriot missile system, in a deal worth $410 million. But Raytheon isn't the only beneficiary of anxiety over Iran. The United Arab Emirates this year ordered $9 billion worth of U.S. military gear, Petraeus noted, including 70 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets of a generation more advanced than those being used by the U.S. Air Force. "The Emirati air force can now take out Iran's air force," Petraeus said.

Yet Iran's air force is not what has the region nervous. Much of last weekend's annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain — a conference of top military and government officials from across the region, where Petraeus spoke with TIME and which was also attended by an Iranian delegation — was devoted to angry clashes over Tehran's nuclear program and allegations that it is waging proxy warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen.

Petraeus, in language more blunt than that typically used by Obama Administration officials, lashed out that Iran, "which had become a theocracy, has become a thugocracy because of the hijacked elections and people's response to them." He said Arab hostility toward Iran had helped win support for U.S. strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq, he said, there were almost daily attacks using explosive devices manufactured in Iran, while Tehran was using its leverage to strengthen Iranian influence over Iraq's government. Iran sells about 350 million watts of electricity a day to Iraq. "Iraqis see Iran expanding its influence to the degree that they can then call the shots politically, because of Iraq's dependence on Iran for fuel and electricity," said Petraeus.

The most immediate flash point in tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbors is Yemen, one of the regions poorest and most unstable countries, where Shi'ite Houthi rebels in the north launched attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia last month, sparking an air strike by Saudi jets on Houthi territory. U.S. officials say they have no proof that Iran is involved in the Yemen conflict, but deeply suspicious gulf states, including Yemen, are sure Tehran is stoking a potentially explosive war. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told TIME last month that the rebels "want to follow the system of Iran," and a Yemeni official in Manama insisted that his country's security forces had found proof of Iranian backing for the rebels.

While senior Iranian officials and uniformed U.S. military officers munched on muffins within touching distance of one another during informal breaks in the Manama discussions, such affability is likely to be in short supply as regional tensions escalate over Iran's growing influence in the Arab world and over the stalemate in diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear standoff. That's likely to see nervous Arab regimes drawing closer to the U.S. military — and, presumably, to continue shopping at Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1947740,00.html#ixzz0ZsZGImQq
 
Feb 17, 2009
2,845
0
#2
emirati (soosmar khor) airforce can take out iranian airforce

ROFLMAO- THAT IS JOKE OF THE CENTURY

if u look at saudi arabia, with all their modern weaponry, and f-15's they got shove up in their ... by the americans they still cant defeat the yemeni rebels

arabs cant fight and never will

incase of a war, iran will set the region on fire
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#4
Well, comparing the technology alone, even before the delivery of this US 9 billion order, Iran's aircraft are NOWHERE near as sophisticated as the UAE's. Iran also has nowhere as many generation 3+ fighters as the UAE (i.e. technologically and based on numbers alone, they are superior to Iran's). Having said that UAE has neither a reason nor the economic backing (at the moment) to take on any segment of hte Iranian Armed forces. I also don't think they have the sophistication or experience to take on Iran's air-defence systems, even if they had a reason to (i.e. combating Iranian air force in Iranian territory). Having said that, Iran would not stand a chance taking on the UAE airforce outside its borders (if it had a reason to).
 

paymonM

Bench Warmer
Jun 19, 2003
527
0
#5
emirati (soosmar khor) airforce can take out iranian airforce

ROFLMAO- THAT IS JOKE OF THE CENTURY

if u look at saudi arabia, with all their modern weaponry, and f-15's they got shove up in their ... by the americans they still cant defeat the yemeni rebels

arabs cant fight and never will

incase of a war, iran will set the region on fire
learn to read. It says the Emarati Airforce versus Iranian Airforce. Unless the yemeni rebels have an airforce, your example is meaningless.
 

oghabealborz

Elite Member
Feb 18, 2005
15,113
2,590
Strawberry field
#6
this is a sick joke by some one looking to be popular among attention seeker emiratis , UAE air force can't fight its way out of a paper bag ,never mind taking on the most experienced battle hardened Iranian air force ,even with their 30- 40 year old planes which have been modified and updated over the years .

They said the same thing to saddamn to persuade him to take on Iran and he took the bait which was the biggest mistake of his life .

Iranian air force is no push over for any regional air force ,let me remind those Arabs who get fooled by these cheap comments ,remember the Iraqi pilots when they sensed the presence of an Iranian F-14 tomcat ... f arba ashara yalla yalla !
 

Attachments

Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#9
Sharyar jaan, if I'm not mistaken the UAE has over 150 of the most modernized F-16's and Mirage2000's (both generation 4 aircraft). Surely, you agree that without the pilots (i.e. battle experience), our approx. 150 half-operational Mirage F-1, Saegheh/F-5 and Phantoms (all Generation 3) and less than 100 poorly maitained F-14, Mig-29 and Su-24/25's (all very early generation 4's without siginificant upgrades) are no match for the latest version of generation 4 fighters such as the F-16-E/F or Mirage 2000 Mark-2.

Of course, as you have suggested, the UAE airforce has very little battle experience compared to the Iranian airforce and they saw almost no useful flying time in the Gulf War. But still, the pilots are limited to the ability of their aircrafts (i.e. any system is only as strong as its weakest component). If there was any doubt about that, the 2007 Red Flag excercise in which the F-22 (generation 5) proved its undisputed air-superiority over the best pilots from different countries flying the latest version F-16 and F-15's (both Generation 4 aricrafts).

I know we like to be proud of Iran and the Iranian airforce and of course its the pilots that are the most important part of that equation, but they're only as good as what they fly and with at least 3 Iranian airforce planes having crashed in the past 3 months in non-combat realted incidents (2 during an airshow in September and one during a normal landing a few days ago), I really don't think the IR has left the air force in any shape or form to take on even a couple of squadrons of modern aircraft. It's sad, but even if we take recent operational history, rather than the number & generation of the aircraft on paper, it's not a pretty picture.
 
Feb 17, 2009
2,845
0
#10
Sharyar jaan, if I'm not mistaken the UAE has over 150 of the most modernized F-16's and Mirage2000's (both generation 4 aircraft). Surely, you agree that without the pilots (i.e. battle experience), our approx. 150 half-operational Mirage F-1, Saegheh/F-5 and Phantoms (all Generation 3) and less than 100 poorly maitained F-14, Mig-29 and Su-24/25's (all very early generation 4's without siginificant upgrades) are no match for the latest version of generation 4 fighters such as the F-16-E/F or Mirage 2000 Mark-2.

Of course, as you have suggested, the UAE airforce has very little battle experience compared to the Iranian airforce and they saw almost no useful flying time in the Gulf War. But still, the pilots are limited to the ability of their aircrafts (i.e. any system is only as strong as its weakest component). If there was any doubt about that, the 2007 Red Flag excercise in which the F-22 (generation 5) proved its undisputed air-superiority over the best pilots from different countries flying the latest version F-16 and F-15's (both Generation 4 aricrafts).

I know we like to be proud of Iran and the Iranian airforce and of course its the pilots that are the most important part of that equation, but they're only as good as what they fly and with at least 3 Iranian airforce planes having crashed in the past 3 months in non-combat realted incidents (2 during an airshow in September and one during a normal landing a few days ago), I really don't think the IR has left the air force in any shape or form to take on even a couple of squadrons of modern aircraft. It's sad, but even if we take recent operational history, rather than the number & generation of the aircraft on paper, it's not a pretty picture.
lol. that video about that iranian plane crashing happened in mehrabad in 2007 !!
and not within 3 monhts
 

oghabealborz

Elite Member
Feb 18, 2005
15,113
2,590
Strawberry field
#11
Sharyar jaan, if I'm not mistaken the UAE has over 150 of the most modernized F-16's and Mirage2000's (both generation 4 aircraft). Surely, you agree that without the pilots (i.e. battle experience), our approx. 150 half-operational Mirage F-1, Saegheh/F-5 and Phantoms (all Generation 3) and less than 100 poorly maitained F-14, Mig-29 and Su-24/25's (all very early generation 4's without siginificant upgrades) are no match for the latest version of generation 4 fighters such as the F-16-E/F or Mirage 2000 Mark-2.

Of course, as you have suggested, the UAE airforce has very little battle experience compared to the Iranian airforce and they saw almost no useful flying time in the Gulf War. But still, the pilots are limited to the ability of their aircrafts (i.e. any system is only as strong as its weakest component). If there was any doubt about that, the 2007 Red Flag excercise in which the F-22 (generation 5) proved its undisputed air-superiority over the best pilots from different countries flying the latest version F-16 and F-15's (both Generation 4 aricrafts).

I know we like to be proud of Iran and the Iranian airforce and of course its the pilots that are the most important part of that equation, but they're only as good as what they fly and with at least 3 Iranian airforce planes having crashed in the past 3 months in non-combat realted incidents (2 during an airshow in September and one during a normal landing a few days ago), I really don't think the IR has left the air force in any shape or form to take on even a couple of squadrons of modern aircraft. It's sad, but even if we take recent operational history, rather than the number & generation of the aircraft on paper, it's not a pretty picture.
BH jan ,when you say UAE pilots have very little battle experience ,how little is that ? ...... none in fact !

Iranian air force managed to fight saddamn and her armed to teeth air force with their legioner pilots and technicians from east Germany ,USSR .Egypt and France and ... for 8 years under heavy embargo and with very little support .

you say poorly maintained tomcats ? yet after 20 years of the end of the war and 8 years of combat they are still on the front line of the Iranian air force and I promise you they are not the same old F-14A that rolled out of factory in the USA and they are still a formidable opponent for anyone , even our old F-4 and F-5s have been upgraded and modified ...

I make a very crude example , if Micheal schumacher drives an old modified BMW 3 series and I race him in a top of the range Ferrari who would you put your bet on to win ?

If you give a top sharp shooter an old M1 rifle and someone like me a top of the range sniper rifle who would you see coming on top ?
 
Last edited:
Feb 17, 2009
2,845
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#12
BH jan ,when you say UAE pilots have very little battle experience ,how little is that ? ...... none in fact !

Iranian air force managed to fight saddamn and her armed to teeth air force with their legioner pilots and technicians from east Germany ,USSR .Egypt and France and ... for 8 years under heavy embargo and with very little support .

you say poorly maintained tomcats ? yet after 20 years of the end of the war and 8 years of combat they are still on the front line of the Iranian air force and I promise you they are not the same old F-14A that rolled out of factory in the USA and they are still a formidable opponent for anyone , even our old F-4 and F-5s have been upgraded and modified ...

I make a very crude example , if Micheal schumacher drives an old modified BMW 3 series and I race him in a top of the range Ferrari who would you put your bet on to win ?

If you give a top sharp shooter an old M1 rifle and someone like me a top of the range sniper rifle who would you see coming on top ?
very good examples
good post
payande bashi
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#13
I make a very crude example , if Micheal schumacher drives an old modified BMW 3 series and I race him in a top of the range Ferrari who would you put your bet on to win ?

If you give a top sharp shooter an old M1 rifle and someone like me a top of the range sniper rifle who would you see coming on top ?
Shahryar jaan, I think these examples are a little too extreme. I agree with you that the UAE airforce pilots have no combat experience, but these examples suggest that they have no training at all either! If you put Schumacher (which in all fairness, the Iranian pilots are not) in a modified BMW M3 and take a trained race car driver (but inexperienced in big races) in an F1 Ferrari, it really is a no contest. Hell, give me a week to train in an F1 Ferrari and I'll beat Schumacher in an M3! ;) The same goes for the sharp-shooting example.

The other issue we can not lose track of is that most, if not all of the experienced pilots of the Iran-Iraq war have retired. They're all in their 50's and 60's, and some in their 70's!!! Surely, you're not going to send a 70 year old up in a Phantom to go up against a 35 year old F-16 pilot in a 10 g combat situation. Would you?

The reality is that the Iranian air force today, is just as inexperienced as the UAE airforce in combat situations and while the Emiratis (pilots and maintenance crews) are training in Red Flag excercies (Tuscon, AZ) with the best pilots and airforces in the world, the Iranian pilots are struggling to complete a simple refuelling mission in an airshow. I think our confidence in our air-force is similar to our misplaced confidence in our football team, where we still consider ourselves one of the powerhouses in Asia, but in reality we're only in 6th place (if that) - and there's no technological gap in our football making matters worse!
 
Feb 17, 2009
2,845
0
#14
Shahryar jaan, I think these examples are a little too extreme. I agree with you that the UAE airforce pilots have no combat experience, but these examples suggest that they have no training at all either! If you put Schumacher (which in all fairness, the Iranian pilots are not) in a modified BMW M3 and take a trained race car driver (but inexperienced in big races) in an F1 Ferrari, it really is a no contest. Hell, give me a week to train in an F1 Ferrari and I'll beat Schumacher in an M3! ;) The same goes for the sharp-shooting example.

The other issue we can not lose track of is that most, if not all of the experienced pilots of the Iran-Iraq war have retired. They're all in their 50's and 60's, and some in their 70's!!! Surely, you're not going to send a 70 year old up in a Phantom to go up against a 35 year old F-16 pilot in a 10 g combat situation. Would you?

The reality is that the Iranian air force today, is just as inexperienced as the UAE airforce in combat situations and while the Emiratis (pilots and maintenance crews) are training in Red Flag excercies (Tuscon, AZ) with the best pilots and airforces in the world, the Iranian pilots are struggling to complete a simple refuelling mission in an airshow. I think our confidence in our air-force is similar to our misplaced confidence in our football team, where we still consider ourselves one of the powerhouses in Asia, but in reality we're only in 6th place (if that) - and there's no technological gap in our football making matters worse!
baradare golam, kasi nagoft ke niro havey iran mitone niro havaye amrica ya hatta israel ro shekast bede, manzore alborz jan in bod ke mohandesine va khalabanane ghayoore irani toye sharayet sakhti mesle in rooza mitonan gam haye bozorgi ro var daran.

zende bashi va payande bad melate bozorg va shareefe iranzamin
 

Bauvafa

Bench Warmer
Oct 26, 2004
1,987
1
#15
In due time, all those brave UAE pilots with their new toys will be asking for permission to land in Iran. Surely, Iran would welcome the new addition to her inventory.
 

oghabealborz

Elite Member
Feb 18, 2005
15,113
2,590
Strawberry field
#16
Shahryar jaan, I think these examples are a little too extreme. I agree with you that the UAE airforce pilots have no combat experience, but these examples suggest that they have no training at all either! If you put Schumacher (which in all fairness, the Iranian pilots are not) in a modified BMW M3 and take a trained race car driver (but inexperienced in big races) in an F1 Ferrari, it really is a no contest. Hell, give me a week to train in an F1 Ferrari and I'll beat Schumacher in an M3! ;) The same goes for the sharp-shooting example.

The other issue we can not lose track of is that most, if not all of the experienced pilots of the Iran-Iraq war have retired. They're all in their 50's and 60's, and some in their 70's!!! Surely, you're not going to send a 70 year old up in a Phantom to go up against a 35 year old F-16 pilot in a 10 g combat situation. Would you?

The reality is that the Iranian air force today, is just as inexperienced as the UAE air force in combat situations and while the Emiratis (pilots and maintenance crews) are training in Red Flag excercies (Tuscon, AZ) with the best pilots and airforces in the world, the Iranian pilots are struggling to complete a simple refuelling mission in an airshow. I think our confidence in our air-force is similar to our misplaced confidence in our football team, where we still consider ourselves one of the powerhouses in Asia, but in reality we're only in 6th place (if that) - and there's no technological gap in our football making matters worse!
Bi-honare jan , Honar nazde Iranian ast o bass ...nadadand sheer e jian raa be kass !

My dear friend you are under estimating our armed forces ,those examples were just crude examples to make a point ,but anyway when you race Schumacher I will back you up mate !

I don't expect our war veteran pilots to be still flying ,never the less their valuable experience is a treasure for the new generation pilots .

they fought under extreme conditions under scrutiny from their own government and sanctions from abroad while their enemy had the luxury of the support of the whole world , they lost over 500 combat planes during the war 159 of them shot down by Iranian tomcats alone , yet when the war ended they had more than 500 planes ! because they could simply replace them . french whores lent them 5 Super etandards which 3 were shot down by our brave pilots including shooting down an excost missile while it was on its way to target kharg .

Don't listen to all the bullshit that a US general says to please those who spend billions to buy planes from them and train their pilots ,it is just to satisfy their huge complex against their masters which are us !
 
Feb 22, 2005
6,884
9
#17
Although, UAE has no reason to attack Iran, it is ridiculous to to think that Iranian air force could be a match.

During Iraq-Iran war as amazingly as Iran air force did, and was due to Iran having some F14s, and American trained pilots from Shah's time, US and others were just toying with Iran and Iraq and keeping both of them at bay so they could sell weapons to them.

Come next war, with American radar systems, new generations of Awacs, etc. Iranian air force will not be able to fly as they will all be shut down. Remember Iraq air force against the US?
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#18
Bi-honare jan , Honar nazde Iranian ast o bass ...nadadand sheer e jian raa be kass !

My dear friend you are under estimating our armed forces ,those examples were just crude examples to make a point ,but anyway when you race Schumacher I will back you up mate !

I don't expect our war veteran pilots to be still flying ,never the less their valuable experience is a treasure for the new generation pilots .

they fought under extreme conditions under scrutiny from their own government and sanctions from abroad while their enemy had the luxury of the support of the whole world , they lost over 500 combat planes during the war 159 of them shot down by Iranian tomcats alone , yet when the war ended they had more than 500 planes ! because they could simply replace them . french whores lent them 5 Super etandards which 3 were shot down by our brave pilots including shooting down an excost missile while it was on its way to target kharg .

Don't listen to all the bullshit that a US general says to please those who spend billions to buy planes from them and train their pilots ,it is just to satisfy their huge complex against their masters which are us !
Ditto Sharyar jaan to Iranians and honar and ditto to the 2nd sentence. You set up the race and I'll grab the champagne and figure out where we can find the those sexy F1 girls! ;)
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#20
Azizam ,who am I to set up such a race when we have motori jan around , he is the master and I am the sole of his shoe !
LOL. Seriously, if Mr. A can't hook it up, no one can! But if he knew what I said about the Iranian Air Force in this thread, I'm sure I have a big lecture coming from him as well! ;)