well.. heres another bit of news, its not airforce i know, but its in reply to the post of tracking Chinese subs.

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New command renews Navy focus on hunting submarines
By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press
© April 7, 2004 | Last updated 4:11 PM Apr. 7

NORFOLK — The Navy is creating a command to strengthen its ability to hunt submarines, including quiet diesel-electric subs that patrol shallow waters and could pose a threat to U.S. forces in areas of conflict.

The Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Command opens with a ceremony Thursday in San Diego. The command will be based there but will report to Fleet Forces Command on the other side of the country, in Norfolk.

About 130 military personnel, civilians and contractors will make up the command, to be headed by Rear Adm. John J. Waickwicz, who led U.S. forces in Iceland. The command includes detachments of 40 people in Norfolk and four in Yokosuka, Japan.

During the Cold War, the Navy was intensely focused on Soviet nuclear submarines, which operated in deep waters, said Bob Brandhuber, director of antisubmarine warfare improvement for the Navy’s Pacific Fleet.

“When the Iron Curtain came down, the focus on ASW kind of atrophied” as the military concentrated on the Middle East, Brandhuber said Wednesday by telephone. “We were able to do ASW (antisubmarine warfare improvement) but we didn’t focus on it as much.”

Now the Navy is renewing its focus on ASW because many countries, including North Korea, India, China and Iran, have diesel submarines that stay close to beaches and are very quiet when they run on electric power underwater.

A potential adversary could use such subs to make it difficult for U.S. forces to reach a country, Brandhuber said.

“Our interests require that we have the ability to project power from the sea,” Brandhuber said. “In order to do that, we need to be able to get (aircraft) carriers there. If a plethora of well-equipped, quiet diesel subs prevent that from happening, we’re in a bit of a spot.”

Lt. Cmdr. Michael Jensen, who is in charge of undersea warfare training for Fleet Forces Command, said North Korean mini subs have been found near South Korea and that North Korea is not the only country with such small, hidable subs.

“I don’t believe we have the same threat of global thermal nuclear war that was present during the Cold War,” Jensen said. “But that doesn’t mean that one guy with whatever type weapon, with a chip on his shoulder, can’t do something to do damage to us, either to our interests, our ships that happen to be out at sea, or to U.S. soil.”

ASW involves many platforms, including surface ships, airplanes and submarines. Historically, those communities within the Navy did ASW in an individual fashion.

The new command integrates those elements, bringing together people from throughout the Navy who have ASW expertise. The intent is to make ASW more efficient and effective by identifying and fixing witnesses, bolstering strengths and eliminating duplication of efforts, Brandhuber said.

John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, an Alexandria research center on security issues, said such integration makes sense. “That’s a lot of dots to connect,” Pike said. “That’s what this command will do.”

Pike said it will be difficult for those outside the Navy to assess how well the command is doing because ASW, for security reasons, is secretive.

One way to measure performance would be to look at how many Chinese submarines, for example, were tracked in a day, Pike said.

“You’re not going to issue a news release on” how many Chinese subs were tracked in a day, he said. “That would tell the Chinese how successful they have been in hiding from us.”

On the Net: Globalsecurity.org site with information on Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Command: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/faswc.htm

Irkut Corporation Completes Yakovlev Design Bureau Acquisition

(Source: Irkut Corp.; dated Apr. 20, web-posted April 22, 2004)

Irkut Corporation, the leading Russian aerospace group, has completed the acquisition of the Yakovlev Design Bureau. In result of this merger, Irkut’s share in the registered capital of Yakovlev Design Bureau has come to 75.46%.

Yakovlev’s acquisition was financed by funds raised during Irkut’s initial public offering (IPO) among Russian and foreign investors at the end of March 2004.

“Yakovlev’s acquisition is a logic step in Irkut strategy aimed to build a vertically integrated company providing design, manufacture and support of both military and civil aircraft”, said Alexei Fedorov, Irkut President. “Irkut successful offering in the Russian stock market has shown a high level of trust from investors and financial community to perspectives of our company development. I am sure that the merger of the Yakovlev Design Bureau with Irkut as well as a success of the Yakovlev Yak-130 project will contribute to the increase of the company market capitalisation”.

Irkut Corporation and Yakovlev Design Bureau signed a letter of intent in spring 2003. An official announcement on acquisition was made in August 2003 at the Moscow Air Show MAKS-2003. Since last autumn, Irkut and Yakovlev were actively coordinating technical and legal issues of the merger that was logically completed with Yakovlev Design Bureau becoming an integral part of the Irkut Corporation.

Yakovlev Design Bureau is one of the most respected and experienced design bureaus in Russia boasting design and development of over 200 types and modifications of aircraft, including 100 types in mass production.

Among the latest developments there is the Yak-130 combat trainer, a winner of the tender organised by the Russia’s Ministry of Defence to become the main Russian Air Force trainer.

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Britain to buy 64 Tomahawk missiles in US

21/04/2004 at 16:52:08

Date line: LONDON
Britain will buy 64 US-made Tomahawk missiles for use on Royal Navy submarines for a total 70 million pounds (105 million euros / 125 million dollars), the Ministry of Defence said Wednesday.

Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Bach said the cruise missiles would be fitted with non-nuclear warheads.

Some British submarines already boast first-generation Tomahawks.

The new TLAM/Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles can be fired from the seven Trafalgar class nuclear attack submarines (SNA) which are already in service, said Bach.

They will also be fitted onto future Astute class SNAs once they are operational.

The Tomahawks are made by the Massachusetts-based Raytheon company, a world leader in developing defence technologies.

British submarines have fired Tomahawk missiles during conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

I thought the Kfirs were relatively good aircraft ? and i dont see any threats to Iraq in the near future, if their was Usa and Uk would have to intervene.