Iran has developed a new weapon to shoot down U.S. Apache attack helicopters, the Iranian Fars news agency has reported.

“Our enemies should not imagine that if their Apache choppers have shown a mighty and desirable performance in Iraq and Afghanistan, they can show the same might and power in any possible aggression against Iran. We will certainly put an end to the power of their Apaches through our measures,” Fars quoted Col. Nasser Arab-Beigi of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

The official did not specify the type of the weapon Iran is manufacturing to shoot down Apache helicopters.

Iran frequently holds military drills and shows off modern weaponry in an effort to demonstrate its readiness to thwart any attack on its territory.

Russia on Friday unveiled a new fighter aircraft touted as a rival of the US F-22 stealth jet and developed amid the highest secrecy as part of a plan to modernize the armed forces.

The fifth generation fighter, manufactured by the Sukhoi company and known as the PAK FA, made a maiden flight of just over 45 minutes at the firm’s home base of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Far East region.

“The flight lasted 47 minutes during which all the aircraft’s systems were tested. It was successful,” Sukhoi spokeswoman Olga Kayukova told AFP. “This is the first time it has been unveiled.”

“The aircraft performed well in all stages of the flight programme. It is easy and comfortable to pilot,” said Sergei Bogdan, the pilot for the flight, in comments published on the Sukhoi website.

The first flight of the PAK FA (Prospective Aviation System of Frontline Aviation) is being seen in Russia as a major boost for the military after the project was hit by repeated delays over the last years.

“There is no doubt that the plane is needed,” the ex-commander of the Russian air force, Anatoly Kornukov, told the Interfax news agency.

“Our Su-27 and MiG-29 planes are good but have aged. They are 20 or more years old and it’s time to have something as a replacement,” he said.

The Boeing 737-800 bound for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, was carrying 8 crew members and 82 passengers when it crashed into the Mediterranean early yesterday shortly after takeoff from Beirut amid hail and thunder. The U.S.-born wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon was among the passengers.

Authorities have yet to find the flight data and voice recorders, or black boxes, that could yield clues about the cause of the crash. But officials said the ferocious overnight storm that blanketed the small country’s mountains with snow was likely a major factor.

“Bad weather was apparently the cause of the crash,” said Defense Minister Elias Murr, according to local news outlets. “We have ruled out foul play so far.”

Lebanon’s airport has been a subject of controversy because of allegations that the Shiite Muslim political group maintains a security presence there to oversee the importation of weapons. No flights originating in Lebanon land in North America, largely because of security concerns.

But Lebanese and Ethiopian officials quickly discounted the possibility of terrorism or sabotage in the downing of the plane. A spokesman for the Addis Ababa government said the airline had received no prior threats.

Rescue workers found no one to save. They could only retrieve corpses of those aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed into the sea early Monday during a fierce winter storm.

More than 4,000 Sailors and Marines from the USS Nassau (LHA 4) Amphibious Ready Group (NAS ARG) and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) received orders to deploy to Haiti to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.

The NAS ARG departed Norfolk Jan. 18 for a regularly scheduled deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleet Areas of Responsibility, but the NAS ARG has been ordered to proceed to Haiti after completing its onload of Marines from the 24th MEU in Morehead City, N.C. The decision to divert the NAS ARG/24th MEU from its planned deployment was made by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen based on continuing urgent needs in the Haiti relief effort.

The addition of the NAS ARG/24 MEU brings the total number of U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command ships participating in the relief effort to 20, along with their associated Marine Corps units. These forces include:

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)
USS Bataan (LHD 5)
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44)
USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43)
USS Carter Hall (LSD 50)
USS Normandy (CG 60)
USS Underwood (FFG 36)
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU 22)
USS Nassau (LHD 4)
USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19)
USS Ashland (LSD 48)
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU 24)
USS Higgins (DDG 76)
USS Bunker Hill (CG 52)
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20)
USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51)
USNS Henson (T-AGS-63)
USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2)
USNS Sumner (T-AGS-61)
USNS 1st LT Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011)
USNS PFC Dewayne T. Williams (T-AK 3009)
USNS Big Horn (T-AO-198)