A UK parliamentary committee has questioned the government's interpretation of international law when it comes to the targeted killings of suspected terrorists that take place by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) outside of the scope of conventional armed conflicts.
The report by the Joint Committee
UK's understanding of law for use of UAVs in targeted killings outside of war 'misconceived', report finds
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Russia sets up Palmyra base
Russian ground forces have set up a forward operating base in the central Syrian city of Tadmur, the home of the ancient ruins of Palmyra, and installed an air-defence system to protect the site.
A video released by the AFP news agency on 7 May showed the Russian base has been built just to the
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Textron moves towards Qatar Aerosonde contract
Key Points
A Textron MoU with the Qatari Armed Forces is expected to yield a contract for Aerosonde UAS and training
Qatari personnel are expected to be trained on the system at the company's Blackstone, Virginia facility
Textron Unmanned Systems is working toward a contract with Qatar that would
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Aptima, Lumir Research Institute merge
Aptima and Lumir Research Institute, two companies that specialise in training services for the US military, have merged, the companies announced on 10 May. The two companies are privately held, do not disclose earnings, and did not disclose financial terms of the deal.
Aptima offers a series of
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US reviews Vietnam ties before potentially lifting embargo
The United States government is reviewing its policies in relation to Vietnam before a potential move to fully lift its long-standing military export embargo on the Southeast Asian country. The review comes before US president Barack Obama's visit to Vietnam, which is scheduled for later this month.
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TransDigm reports second quarter earnings
TransDigm, a US firm that makes aircraft components for military and civilian aircraft, reported earnings for the second quarter of fiscal year 2016 (FY 2016) on 10 May. The company reported a 29% increase in sales, with net income increasing 25% for the quarter year-over-year.
Sales were USD797
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Spaceshot: Cuarteron Reef, China, 08.863161 N 112.829816 E
Cuarteron Reef, referred to by China as Huayang Jiao, is home to the southernmost of the manmade islands constructed by China in the South China Sea since 2014. While the major structures at Cuarteron Reef are similar to those found on China's other artificially created islands, certain unique
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SOFEX 2016: JADARA unveils J-9 sniper rifle
Jordan's JADARA Equipment and Defence Systems Company unveiled its new J-9 sniper rifle at the SOFEX show held in Amman on 10-12 May.
Chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, the J-9 is a bolt-action rifle that weighs 6.2 kg. JADARA says it has a muzzle velocity of up to 925 m/s and a range
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Russia starts naval shipbuilding in Crimea
Russia has begun building its first naval vessel in Crimea since it occupied the territory from Ukraine. The Project 22800 (Karakurt-class) guided missile corvette was laid down on 10 May by the More Shipyard in Feodosiya.
"Today, we are laying the keel of the advanced ship Shtorm ... this
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Joint Afghan-US operation frees high-profile Pakistani hostage in Paktika province
Afghan National Army (ANA) commandos and US Special Operations Forces operating under the US counter-terrorism mission 'Freedom's Sentinel' rescued Ali Haider Gilani, son of former Pakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a partnered raid in the district of Giyan in the southeastern province
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Indian Army orders study for 'right-sizing' the force
India's Army chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, has ordered an internal study to 'right-size' the 1.2 million-strong force by reducing numbers in order to improve its inordinately low 'teeth-to-tail ratio', or T3R, of combat soldiers to support personnel.
Official sources said the study, headed by
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Beijing vows to increase South China Sea presence after USN's latest FONOP
Key Points
China has pointed to the USN's latest FONOP in justifying more patrols and the building of defensive structures in South China Sea
Statement may be a harbinger of heighted activities in and around the chains of artificial islands in the disputed region
Citing a statement from China's
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US House defence appropriators to consider 'supplemental' scheme to boost Pentagon budget
The House Appropriations defense subcommittee on 10 May revealed the outline of its fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) spending bill, which follows a scheme by House authorisors to require operational funds be allocated for base requirements - shorting the operational account so the next president must add
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Germany to increase size of armed forces
Germany is to increase the size of its armed forces by 7,000 under plans unveiled by the country's defence ministry on 10 May.
The increase announced by Ursula von der Leyen will be spread out over several years until 2023 and spell an end to dwindling personnel numbers over the past 25 years.
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DARPA hopes to fly UAV with new collaboration software in 12 months
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) expects to soon fly an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with new software designed to allow legacy systems to communicate and operate with higher levels of autonomy.
DARPA's Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) is, as the name
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DARPA eyes 2018 for TERN UAV's first flight
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has moved to a third and final stage of an effort to launch medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from US Navy surface combatants, and expects an initial flight test in 2018.
DARPA's Tactically Exploited
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Bell eyes Austrian potential for 407GT helo
Bell Helicopter hopes to secure a contract in the coming months with Austria for its 407GT, as part of a wider international sales drive for the civil derived light attack and armed reconnaissance platform, a senior official said on 11 May.
Speaking to reporters at the site of the company's Prague
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Ukrainian industry contracted by Indian Navy to supply gas turbine engines
Ukraine's Zorya Mashproekt is to manufacture additional gas turbine engines for Indian Navy (IN) vessels under a contract recently signed between the Ukraine Ministry of Defence and the Indian government, Ukraine's state-owned defence industrial group Ukroboronprom said on 11 May.
It said the
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SOFEX 2016: Jordan unveils Quick Reaction Force
The Jordanian Armed Forces' (JAF's) newly formed Quick Reaction Force (QRF) made its first ever public appearance during the opening ceremony of the SOFEX show in Amman on 10 May.
Brigadier General Adnan al-Abbadi, the commander of Jordan's Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), told IHS Jane' s
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SOFEX 2016: JADARA refines Quad Nashshab launcher
Jordan's JADARA Equipment and Defence Systems Company displayed two new versions of its quadruple RPG-32 Nashshab (Nash-Shab) launcher during the SOFEX show held in Amman 10-12 May.
The Quad-1 is a refined version of the pedestal-mounted, remotely operated launcher for four Nashshab rockets that
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