Key Points
It has been revealed that Turkey has as many as 2,000 troops in northern Iraq
Ankara is refusing to comply with Baghdad's demands to withdraw them
Turkey has stated it will keep troops in northern Iraq even though Baghdad has demanded that they are withdrawn.
The stand-off began on 4
Turkey to keep troops in Iraq despite Baghdad protests
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Trials of modernised Su-25SM3s to begin by the end of the year
Trials of the first two upgraded Sukhoi Su-25SM3 single-seat strike aircraft will start before the end of the year, a Russian defence industry source has told IHS Jane's .
"The first two Su-25SM3 aircraft must be commissioned in December. Both aircraft will be shipped for trials. One of them
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Singapore Armed Forces validates integrated strike and counter-air capabilities in Exercise 'Forging Sabre' 2015
Key Points
The Singapore Armed Forces is conducting a major live-firing exercise in Arizona, United States, from 1-16 December
The exercise, called 'Forging Sabre 2015', tests the service's ability to conduct integrated precision strikes against a capable opponent
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)
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Russia deploys S-300s on Novaya Zemlya
Russia has continued its Arctic military build-up with the deployment of an S-300-equipped air defence missile regiment on the Novaya Zemlya island group, the country's defence ministry announced on 9 December.
Personnel will receive extra leave, allowances and pensions, and doubled calculation of
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NATO needs top-to-bottom transformation, say Polish defence specialists
NATO's collective defence mechanisms require a radical overhaul in order to adequately meet the threat of Russian aggression in Europe, a panel of Polish defence specialists concluded during a forum organised by the US-based Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) think-tank in Warsaw on 8
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Israel's Arrow 3 hits target for the first time
Israel's Arrow 3 missile defence system successfully intercepted a target for the first time during a test carried out by the Israeli and US missile defence organisations on 10 December.
Designed to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles when they are still outside the Earth's atmosphere, Arrow 3 is
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India's CAG lambasts long-delayed 'Kilo' refit
India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has severely criticised the Indian Navy (IN), the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and a state-owned shipyard for the 14-year delay in refitting a Russian 'Kilo'-class submarine.
In its report, tabled in parliament on 8 December, the CAG revealed that the
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Egypt's first Type 209 sub launched
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) announced on 10 December that the first of four Type 209/1400 submarines it is building for Egypt at its Kiel yard has been launched and named S 41.
This is the first time the German company has acknowledged the Egyptian Type 209 submarine contract, the existence
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China continues to depend on Ukrainian aero engines
Recent discussions with Ukrainian technicians indicate that China's aero-engine industry continues to depend on Ukrainian technology almost as much as it does on Russian propulsion systems.
Impressions of the state of China's aero-engine programmes among staff of the Ivchenko-Progress design bureau
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Bangladesh receives five Mi-171Sh helicopters
Russian Helicopters announced on 11 December that it had delivered five Mi-171Sh transport helicopters to Bangladesh.
The helicopters are equipped with additional fuel tanks, external slings, spotlights, and avionics that allow them to operate at night and in any weather conditions.
They are also
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Russia deploys additional Su-34s to Syria
Russia has further bolstered its strike capability in Syria by deploying another four Su-34 aircraft to the Humaymim Air Base in Latakia province, Airbus Defence and Space imagery captured on 7 December shows.
The deployment, which happened sometime after 1 December, brings the number of Su-34s in
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Taiwan inaugurates new harbour in Spratly Islands
Taiwan inaugurated a new harbour on Taiping (Itu Aba) island in the South China Sea on 12 December.
The harbour has been built to allow 3,000-tonne Republic of China Navy (RoCN) and Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessels to dock at the island, which is the only land mass occupied by Taiwan in the
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Russian warship fires warning shots at Turkish trawler
On 13 December the Russian patrol ship Smetliviy fired warning shots at a Turkish trawler in the Aegean Sea, 12 n miles north of the Greek island of Lemnos.
According to Russia's Ministry of Defence (MoD), the trawler was spotted approaching on a collision course at 1,000 m by the watchkeeper on
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Obama visits Pentagon to discuss operations against Islamic State
President Barack Obama made a rare visit to the Pentagon on 14 December, meeting with his National Security Council primarily to discuss the ongoing efforts against the Islamic State.
Obama spoke from the Pentagon briefing room to reporters shortly after the meeting concluded, emphasising
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Madrid, Airbus negotiate postponement in delivery of last 13 Spanish A400Ms until at least 2024
Spain and Airbus Defence & Space (ADS) are negotiating the postponement of delivery of the country's last tranche of 13 A400M heavy transport aircraft until at least 2024.
The company's head of military aircraft, Fernando Alonso, said the plan was to wait for a better economic situation to
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Israel exploring potential F-35B acquisition
Israeli and US defence officials are examining the possibility that the Jewish state will purchase the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter.
News of the negotiations was first reported by the Hebrew-language Walla news agency. IHS
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Chinese military restructuring may include new Strategic Support Forces
While there have yet to be any official announcements, several Chinese sources report that part of Chinese president Xi Jinping's sweeping restructuring and reform of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) may include a new Strategic Support Forces (SSF) service combining several functions similar to
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USAF gets permission to continue JSTARS acquisition
Key Points
The USAF has been given permission to continue recapitalisation of its JSTARS fleet
Milestone A approval allows the air force to exercise the options on the previously awarded pre-EMD contracts to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman
US Department of Defense acquisition
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UK invites bids for laser weapon demonstrator
Key Points
The LDEW demonstrator, for which an invitation to tender has just been issued, is intended to inform future capability-planning decisions
A land-based hardware demonstration will be followed by sea-based testing
UK plans to build and test a tactical laser weapon prototype have taken a
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Portuguese Army buys additional HK416A5 rifles
The Portuguese Army's Logistics Command (CmdLog) has ordered a new batch of 5.56x45 mm Heckler & Koch HK416A5 assault rifles for the army's special forces (Força de Operações Especiais - FOE).
A total of 24 rifles were purchased on 3 December from Heckler & Koch's Portuguese
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