US Air Force (USAF) Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attacks jets have arrived in Kuwait to begin flying strike missions against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation 'Inherent Resolve'.
The USAF public affairs office in Kuwait announced the deployment of the A-10C
USAF A-10 'Warthogs' join war against the Islamic State
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US defence secretary stepping down
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel will be leaving his post, the White House announced on 24 November. Hagel will remain in the position until a successor is nominated and confirmed by the US Senate.
The move comes as a surprise as Hagel and his aides had discussed plans for running the Pentagon
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Israel still planning to acquire 50 F-35s despite reduction of second order
The Israeli defence establishment is still determined to acquire 50 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters, despite a recent decision by a ministerial committee to reduce the second order to 14 aircraft, defence sources have told IHS Jane's .
The ministerial committee for military acquisitions
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Europe kick-starts tanker procurement project
Europe has formally begun the acquisition process for a new aerial refuelling capability under the Multinational MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet (MMF) project, it was announced on 21 November.
With the European Defence Agency having already harmonised requirements, a co-operation agreement
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Colombia takes delivery of Hermes 900
The Colombian Air Force (FAC) took delivery of an Elbit Hermes 900 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial system (UAS) in early November during a public event in Colombia, according to local press reporting on 24 November.
Colombian sources indicated that the Hermes 900 is undergoing
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China clamps down on military photographers
Chinese news media have reported that a resident of the port city of Qingdao, the location of the North Sea Fleet's headquarters, has been arrested and is awaiting trial for taking photographs of the naval base from which aircraft carrier Liaoning operates.
He is accused of passing the photos to
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British Army tests Mastiff MRAPs in mechanised infantry role
Key Points
The British Army is conducting testing on whether the Mastiff MRAP is suitable for a conventional mechanised infantry role
The UK bought over 400 Mastiff's and is keen to establish whether they have any other utility beyond counter-insurgency operations
British Army units are carrying
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China readies indigenous special mission aircraft production
Chinese state-owned defence equipment firm China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) revealed that it has entered into an agreement with Austrian light aircraft constructor Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH to indigenously develop and manufacture special mission aircraft based on the DA42
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China building coastguard ship based on Type 056 corvette hull
Photographs have appeared on Chinese military websites of a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel under construction at the Huangpu shipyard in Guangzhou, southern China, with a hull form that appears to be derived from the Type 056 Jiangdao corvette.
The Huangpu shipyard has built five of the 17 Type 056
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US defence spending after Hagel
Chuck Hagel announced that he would be resigning as defence secretary on 24 November, less than two years after being elevated to the post. He will leave the Pentagon struggling to handle the realities of the US defence budget downturn and insistent that it cannot operate on the funds allocated to
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Peru opts for second batch of C-27Js
The Peruvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has released funds to procure a second batch of two Alenia C-27J Spartan medium transports for the Peruvian Air Force (FAP), according to local press reports on 25 November.
The second batch of C-27J Spartans will cost USD123 million and add to the previous
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EU to train another 1,200 Somali soldiers in 2015
The European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) aims in 2015 to approximately match the number of soldiers it trained in 2014, although mission personnel say the security situation in Mogadishu, where the training is taking place, remains "very dangerous".
The 128-strong
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EDA to launch five IED detection projects in 2015
The European Defence Agency (EDA) plans to launch five improvised explosive device (IED) detection projects in 2015, Pete Round, director of capability, armament and technology at the EDA, stated on 26 November.
The focus areas of the efforts are expected to be the following: two projects to
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Analysis: Libyan Air Force claims to have opened western campaign
Key Points
It appears that the Libyan Air Force, rather than a foreign ally, has carried out its first airstrikes in the west of the country
The aircraft that carried out the airstrikes might be MiG-21MF fighters supplied by Egypt
The Libyan Air Force appears to have carried out its first
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South Sudan opposition says Uganda has deployed Su-30s to Juba
The rebel faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has alleged that Uganda has deployed its Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters to the South Sudanese capital, Juba.
"Between 10-19 November agents of our military counter-intelligence division on the ground had informed us of unusual
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China launches second Kuaizhou mobile SLV
China launched its second Kuaizhou (fast boat) mobile, solid-fuel, space launch vehicle (SLV) on 21 November, according to state media reports.
The Kuaizhou-2 launch - from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) - is further demonstration of China's emerging rapid satellite repopulation
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USFK commander says North Korea making progress in cyber, nuclear capabilities
The commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK) has said that North Korea is focusing on developing its cyber and nuclear capabilities rather than conventional military forces.
Speaking at a meeting of the Association of the Republic of Korea Army on 25 November, General Curtis Scaparrotti said North
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USAF, Raytheon to help Qatar develop missile defence capability
Work on Qatar's ballistic missile defences appears to be picking up pace after the US Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a USD75.6 million contract to Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems to carry out the preliminary design work for an "air and missile defence operations system" for the
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RAF completes first Paveway IV in-service releases from Typhoon
The Royal Air Force (RAF) has completed the first in-service releases of the Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb from a Eurofighter Typhoon.
1(Fighter) Squadron, based at RAF Lossiemouth, successfully released two live Paveway IV weapons at Cape Wrath Training Area on 25 November as part of
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NATO looks to secure eastern frontier
Allied measures to beef up NATO's military presence along its eastern frontier will dominate talks when NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels on 2 December.
At issue are the cost and logistical implications of creating a rapid deployment force - part of NATO's forthcoming 'readiness action
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