A Chinese submarine's recent visit to Pakistan's main naval base at Karachi is a "routine affair and nothing more", a senior Pakistani government official told IHS Jane's on 1 July.
Western defence officials told IHS Jane's that the visit took place in the second half of May. Regional
Chinese Type 041 'makes Karachi port visit'
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Australian senate report slams 'politicised' nature of Future Submarine programme
Japan's involvement in the acquisition process to determine the designer and constructor of Australia's Future Submarine is based on political imperatives rather than merit and the current approach should be scrapped, an Australian parliamentary inquiry has found.
In a majority finding in a report
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Singapore confirms F-16 upgrade schedule
Singapore has confirmed that work on the planned upgrade to its fleet of Lockheed-Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon jets will start in 2016, according to Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
In an interview on 26 June, Ng also revealed that the upgrading work on the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's)
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Italian Navy orders new amphibious assault ship
The Italian Navy has ordered a new landing helicopter dock (LHD), with Fincantieri and Finmeccanica announcing they had been awarded a EUR1.1 billion (USD1.3 billion) contract for the vessel on 1 July.
The delivery of the new ship is planned for the beginning of 2022. Design activities have already
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Indecisive storm: Assessing the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen
After more than three months the Saudi-led campaign against the Yemeni group Ansar Allah has had mixed results, preventing the group from taking control of Aden yet failing to achieve its key objective of restoring President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, write Jeremy Binnie and Sean O'Connor
In March
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Germany to increase defence spending
Germany is to increase its defence spending, aiming to support NATO guidelines of spending 2% of GDP on national defence.
The Federal German Cabinet approved the 2016 budget and financial planning cycle until 2019 on 1 July. While set by the German cabinet, this is a planning assumption and not
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EU signs major co-operation agreement with Afghanistan
The EU signed a sweeping and unprecedented agreement with Afghanistan on 2 July. Inked in Kabul, the new "co-operation agreement on partnership and development" (CAPD) aims to stabilise the country's political structures and economy, with an emphasis on squashing terrorist financing,
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Benelux nations make first common defence purchase
The Benelux nations (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) have jointly ordered soldier modernisation equipment from Elbit Systems.
Announced on 2 July, the USD150 million contract covers the provision of Elbit's Smart Vest systems for the Benelux nation's future solider programmes. These are
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Airbus Helicopters, Mahindra announce JV plans
Airbus Helicopters and India's Mahindra Defence have signed an agreement to form a joint venture (JV) that aims "to become the first private Indian helicopter manufacturer under the 'Make in India' initiative," the two companies announced on 2 July.
The JV will be "dedicated to
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US Navy retires Prowler electronic attack aircraft after close to 45 years' service
The US Navy (USN) retired from service the last of its Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic attack (EA) aircraft during a three-day 'sundown' ceremony at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island in Washington state from 25 to 27 June.
The four-seat Prowler, which was developed from the twin-seat A-6
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Russia grounds MiG-29 fleet following crash
The Russian Air Force has grounded its fleet of MiG-29 'Fulcrum' combat aircraft following a crash on 3 July.
All of the approximately 280 single- and twin-seat MiG-29s in the air force's inventory are subject to the order, which was imposed after the Head of Aviation Safety, Major-General
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NATO to have no military role in Afghanistan after 2016
NATO's next foray in Afghanistan after its Resolute Support military train-and-advise mission ends in December 2016 will be a civilian-led effort.
It will have neither a military dimension nor any responsibility to counter the country's resurgent poppy production, according to a senior NATO
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German Navy plans MPA overhauls
The German Navy is planning an extensive overhaul to its fleet of eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), IHS Jane's has learned.
The overhaul package is expected to run for 10 years and cost EUR567.6 million (USD626.4 million), in order to ensure the platform remains in service for the
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DCNS expects Brazilian aircraft carrier upgrade contract soon
French shipbuilder DCNS is expected to secure a contract to deliver a detailed study for the refit of Brazilian Navy aircraft carrier NAe São Paulo (A 12). A contract was expected for before mid-2015 but is still awaiting signature, Nathalie Smirnov, senior vice-president of services at DCNS,
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Briefing: Mitsubishi plans to address Japanese defence market challenges
Japan's largest defence contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) forecasts falling defence sales over the next few years, but aims for longer-term growth through international partnerships and strengthened integrated defence offerings.
A spokesman for the company told IHS Jane's recently that
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Russia to launch production of naval Pantsyr-M
The Russian Instrument Design Bureau (KBP) has launched batch production of the Pantsyr-M (Pantsir-M) naval anti-air gun-missile (AAGM) system, according to Alexander Zhukov, chief engineer of KBP's naval air defence unit.
"Pantsyr-M's batch production has already started," Zhukov said.
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Iran reveals existence of second Ghadir long-range radar
Iran has built a second Ghadir long-range early-warning radar, the Fars News Agency reported on 4 July.
Fars said Iranian air defence commander, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, had attended a ceremony in the city of Ahvaz (Ahwaz) in the western province of Khuzestan earlier in the day to unveil
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A400M deliveries continue, as UK receives third airlifter
The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has received into service the third of 22 Airbus Defence and Space (DS) A400M Atlas transport aircraft, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 6 July.
The airlifter arrived at its homebase at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, having completed pre-delivery trials at
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US Army moves towards 'pure fleet' of M88A2 recovery vehicles
BAE Systems has been awarded USD110 million contract modification to continue upgrading Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System (Hercules) vehicles for the US Army.
The contract, awarded on 30 June, covers the conversion of 36 M88A1 recovery vehicles to the M88A2
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Obama vague on defence bill veto threats
President Barack Obama would not say definitively whether or not he will follow through on threats to veto defence legislation, but noted that either way military personnel will get paid.
"Our men and women are going to get paid," Obama said in response to a question during a rare
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