Norway’s new defence minister, Frank Bakke-Jensen, appointed on 19 October, represents Finnmark, the country’s northernmost county. Previously, he was minister responsible for the European Economic Area and EU affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
He was raised in Båtsfjord, near the
Norway has new defence minister after cabinet reshuffle
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US clears Venom sale to Czech Republic
The potential sale of Bell UH-1Y Venom utility and assault helicopters to the Czech Republic has been approved by the US State Department, it was announced on 23 October.
The Foreign Military Sale (FMS), which is valued at USD575 million, covers 12 helicopters, mission equipment, spares, support,
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US Air Force hopes longer contract terms will attract retired pilots
Key Points
The US Air Force gained the authority to recruit retired pilots back to active duty
The service hopes a longer contract term will help attract these pilots and stem a pilot shortage
The US Air Force (USAF) hopes a longer contract term will better attract retired pilots and help the
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US Air Force denies it is returning bombers to nuclear alert status
The US Air Force (USAF) on 23 October denied it was returning its nuclear bomber force to alert status after a 22 October news report spread concern among mainstream news outlets that it was returning to alert.
USAF spokesperson Ann Stefanek told reporters on 23 October that while the facts of the
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Turkey to start testing satcom control of Anka-S UAV
Turkey’s domestically developed Anka-S unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is scheduled to begin satellite communications (satcom) control tests as the last step before the completion of acceptance testing.
Unlike the two Anka-A and single Anka-B prototypes already built by Turkish Aerospace
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Spain orders Fulmar mini UAV
The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ordered Fulmar mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Thales España, the company announced on 24 October.
The initial system will be supplied to the Spanish marines under the MoD’s Rapaz programme to seek domestically produced UAVs.
Thales
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Russia closes Arctic seas for missile tests, berates Norway’s Arctic policies
In a series of navigation warnings, Russia’s ‘Western Arctic Seaport Administration’ has banned sailings in large areas of the Arctic Barents and Kara seas until the end of October, in order to carry out missile tests.
Prohibitions include those around the Novaya Zemlya island
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RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBM to be test launched by end of year
The Russian Ministry of Defence plans two launches of the RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by the end of 2017, the Kommersant newspaper reported on 23 October.
The missile will be fired from a silo at the Plesetsk space centre, according to the newspaper. Kommersant
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Romania to pay USD700 million for first Patriot missile system
Romania's new defence minister, Mihai Fifor, on 23 October revealed Romania’s plan to buy Raytheon-built Patriot systems and other priority equipment for the Romanian armed forces.
Fifor said Romania had allocated 2% of gross domestic product to defence in 2017, with 38% of the budget going
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Israel and Germany sign delayed MoU for submarine
Israel and Germany confirmed on 23 October that they have finalised a memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering the former's purchase of three more Dolphin-class submarines from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
A statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the
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IAF trials highway runway in northern India
The Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a ‘touch-and-go’ exercise involving 14 combat and two transport aircraft on a recently constructed highway in northern India on 24 October to practise for ‘operational contingencies’ in times of conflict.
Two IAF Lockheed Martin C-130J-30
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HIMARS test advances USN surface-ship lethality potential
Recent shipboard testing of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) further advances the US Navy (USN) plans for distributed lethality and also shows further portable missile capability for US forces.
HIMARS was fired 22 October from the flight deck of the San Antonio-class
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First French C-130J rolls out
The first of four Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transport aircraft for the French Air Force was rolled out from the Marietta production facility in Georgia on 20 October.
The aircraft was rolled out in front of the cameras for the first time after being painted in national colours and markings.
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Azeri budget receives slight boost
Azerbaijan has announced plans for a slight increase in defence spending in 2018, with the government outlining defence and national security as a priorities.
The draft budget released by the Ministry of Finance on 9 October outlines plans to increase the defence budget to AZN2.73 billion (USD1.6
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Argentine government threatens to halt FAdeA payments
Argentina’s state-run Fábrica Argentina de Aviones SA (FAdeA) is at risk of losing its government funding due to a lack of success commercialising its products, sources told Jane’s .
The company has struggled to manufacture its flagship aircraft, the IA-63 Pampa III, for the
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ST Engineering injects capital into Brazil's Technicae
Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) announced on 24 October that it has injected an amount of BRL9.7 million (USD2.9 million) as working capital into its Brazilian operation Technicae Projetos e Serviços Automotivos.
To date, a total of BRL23.0 million has been injected into
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USN chief emphasises small-team fixes for ship-handling problems
While the US Navy (USN) continues its investigation into its recent surface-ship collisions and review of procedures following those deadly mishaps, early feedback from the USN “operational pause” shows a need for greater focus on small-team development, Admiral John Richardson, the
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USAF to deploy F-35As to Pacific
The US Air Force (USAF) is to conduct its first operational overseas deployment of the Lockheed martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in the coming weeks, the service announced on 23 October.
Twelve aircraft and approximately 300 personnel from the 34th Fighter Squadron (FS) based at
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Turkey’s prospective Russian S-400 air defences would not integrate with NATO
NATO-member Turkey could face "necessary consequences" for buying Russian S-400 air defence systems that cannot integrate into the alliance's similar systems, according to a top NATO general.
In September Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara had signed an agreement with
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Point Blank acquires Short Bark Industries
US personal protective equipment (PPE) company Point Blank announced on 24 October that it had acquired US PPE firm Short Bark Industries.
Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Short Bark Industries manufactures a range of uniforms and ballistic protection equipment for the US military
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