Australia is to receive a pair of Gulfstream G550 special mission aircraft, according to a recent contract announcement by the US Department of Defense (DoD).
A USD93.6 million contract announced in late December will see L-3 Communications Mission Integration procure and maintain a G550 aircraft
Australia to field special mission G550 aircraft
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Winter lull in Afghan fighting fails to materialise
Despite the winter season that traditionally lulls the security situation in Afghanistan, the fighting there is not only continuing in the comparatively warmer south, but also in the north of the country.
The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) reportedly recaptured Darqad on 10
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US flies B-52 over South Korea to ward off Pyongyang
The US Air Force (USAF) flew a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber over South Korea on 10 January in a display of support for Seoul following a nuclear bomb test by Pyongyang days previously.
The B-52H was escorted over South Korea by a USAF Lockheed Martin KF-16 Fighting Falcon and
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UPDATE: France orders 443 Renault special forces patrol vehicles
Renault Trucks Defense (RTD) has won a major order to supply 443 new patrol vehicles for France's special forces, it was announced on 7 January.
The contract, placed by the French defence procurement agency (the Direction Générale de l'Armement - DGA) includes two different variants of
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Surface Navy 2016: USN fleshes out 'distributed lethality' concept for surface forces
The commander of the US Navy's (USN's) surface forces on 12 January elaborated upon a 'distributed lethality' concept introduced a year ago at the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium.
Distributed lethality in short means to "deceive the enemy, target the enemy, and destroy the
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Surface Navy 2016: BAE Systems improves Mk 38 weapon optics capability
Key Points
Today the Mk 38 weapon is used mostly as a surveillance system
The upgraded Mod 3 will enable operators to identify targets at about 20% further range
BAE Systems is upgrading the optics and electronics in its Mk 38 Mod 3 weapon system to increase the number of targets it can track as
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Rheinmetall reveals Thai air-defence contract
Germany's Rheinmetall has announced it has secured a contract from the Royal Thai Army (RTA) for four Skyguard air-defence systems.
The contract, which was signed in July 2015 but only announced on 11 January, covers the provision of four Oerlikon Skyguard 3 fire-control systems and eight 35 mm
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Mexican Navy captures 'el Chapo' Guzman, again
Key Points
The Mexican Navy, likely the Marine Corps Special Operations Unit, captured fugitive Joaquín Guzman Loera
The joint operation was based upon an urgent intelligence collection effort that began after Guzman's elaborate July 2014 prison escape
On 8 January Mexican President Enrique
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Indra to develop NH90 simulators for Spain
Indra has won a EUR77 million (USD83.6 million) order to develop a flight simulator system for the Spanish Armed Forces' NHIndustries NH90 utility helicopters, the company announced on 12 January.
Due to be ready for 2020, it will be located at Agoncillo Air Base in northern Spain and be linked
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India accords priority to indigenous defence production, raises threshold for mandatory offsets
India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 11 January approved changes to the upcoming Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 by according priority to indigenous defence equipment over imported materiel.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also raised -
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Estonia buys extra CV90s from Norway
Key Points
Estonia has bought 35 CV90 vehicle hulls from Norway
The supplementary vehicles are in addition to the 44 CV90s purchased from the Netherlands in 2014
Estonia has bought additional CV90 armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) for its armed forces, signing a contract for 35 more CV90 hulls
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Assembly of first F-35 for Israel begins at Fort Worth
The first of 33 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters for Israel has begun assembly on the Fort Worth production line in Texas, the company announced on 10 January.
The bulkhead of the first conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A, dubbed AS-1, began the mating process to
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Afghanistan orders additional MD 530F helos
Afghanistan has ordered a further 12 MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior ('Jengi' [Warrior]) light attack platforms to add to the 16 it currently fields, the company announced on 11 January.
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is to receive the 12 additional helicopters equipped with the same
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Obama seeks to reduce fears of Islamic State terrorism
President Barack Obama, during his final 'State of the Union' address, sought to moderate US national security concerns regarding terrorism.
Obama's speech was relatively light on defence issues, and he only mentioned a handful of conflicts - including continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - in
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Ukrainian firms look to upgrade business on Polish PT-91s
Ukraine's state-owned defence industrial holding UkrOboronProm is in negotiations on possible participation in an upgrade programme centred on Poland's PT-91 Twardy (Hard) main battle tanks.
According to a UkrOboronProm release and news agency Interfax Ukraine, the organisation will continue to
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Tata Consultancy announces plans to expand military services
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), one of the Tata Group's major defence subsidiaries, has announced strong growth in revenues and earnings as it looks to expand its military-technical capabilities.
The company, headquartered in Mumbai, announced on 12 January that third-quarter revenues in fiscal
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Syrian military fields surveillance camera systems
Syrian troops have begun using electro-optical systems to monitor battlefields, video and still imagery from multiple locations have shown.
The first imagery appeared in a report by Life News Russia in early December 2015 showing a camera mounted on a telescopic mast elevated through the roof of a
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Surface Navy 2016: USCG to finally seek new polar ice breakers
The US Coast Guard (USCG) on 13 January posted a package of information on the Federal Business Opportunities website with acquisition timelines and requirements for new ice breakers, Admiral Paul Zukunft, commandant of the USCG, revealed at the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium.
The
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Surface Navy 2016: Textron, navy exploring in-water launch ramps for new hovercraft
The US Navy and contractor Textron Systems have discussed adding an in-water launch capability for the service's emerging Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) hovercraft fleet, but likely after initial production craft are delivered.
The US Marine Corps (USMC) hopes to launch its Amphibious Combat
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Surface Navy 2016: Declining budgets drive surface force focus on multi-use systems
Key Points
USN surface budgets have been reduced by 1-3% over the past five years
With less money to spend, the navy is pushing for dual- and multi-use weapons and sensors
With US Navy (USN) surface force budgets declining by 1-3% in the past five years, navy planners are pushing to fit existing
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