The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) made extensive use of Chinese-made Type 89 armoured vehicles during what appeared to be a bloodless coup that ousted President Robert Mugabe on 14 November.
Photographs and video footage of ZNA deployments around the capital Harare showed multiple Type YW534s, the
Chinese armour plays prominent role in Zimbabwe coup
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Queen Elizabeth to formally join fleet
The UK Royal Navy’s first Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier is to complete its contractors’ sea trials and formally join the fleet on 7 December.
UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson made the announcement on 16 November during his first visit to the carrier, while it was at sea
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Management of Australia’s strategic risk becoming more demanding, warn strategists
Two of Australia’s leading strategic thinkers have warned that Australia’s strategic outlook is deteriorating and that for the first time since the Second World War the country faces an increased prospect of threat from a major power.
Writing in a research paper for the Australian
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Indian Army issues RFI for 60 short-range UAVs
The Indian Army’s (IA’s) Director General of Artillery has invited responses from local vendors by 28 December to its request for information (RFI) for the development and supply of 60 short-range remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs).
Issued on 16 November, the RFI states that the
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China reveals more details about locally developed electromagnetic catapult
Further details have been revealed about China’s development of a conventionally powered electromagnetic catapult that will reportedly be fitted onto the second of the country’s indigenously built aircraft carriers, commonly referred to as the Type 002.
Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo, director
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Australia names future replenishment vessels
The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) future auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessels will be named Supply and Stalwart , according to a 17 November statement by Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne.
The ships, which will replace the RAN’s current replenishment vessels HMAS
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Dossier shows ‘Iranian’ missile that landed in Saudi Arabia
Key Points
The Saudi-led coalition has compiled a dossier of evidence of Iranian military support for Yemen’s rebels.
It includes photographs of a ballistic missile that landed in Saudi Arabia.
The remnants of at least one Iranian Qiam ballistic missile have been recovered in Saudi Arabia,
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Argentina loses contact with one of its submarines
The Argentine Navy has lost contact with one of its submarines: the TR 1700-class boat ARA San Juan . The last communication with the vessel was on the morning of 15 November and there has been no further news from it since then.
The navy has deployed the destroyer ARA Sarandi and the frigates ARA
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Turkey withdraws troops from NATO exercise
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on 17 November that Turkey has withdrawn 40 Turkish troops from a NATO military drill in Norway in which he and Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, were listed in an “enemy chart”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg apologised for
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Lockheed Martin delays F-35 Block 3F software final certification to February
Key Points
Lockheed Martin expects to complete F-35 Block 3F final certification in February
This is later than a previously estimated goal of the end of 2017
A Lockheed Martin executive expects the company to complete final certification for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Block
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Over half of Bundeswehr’s Leopard 2 MBTs are not operationally ready
German media reported on 16 November that only 95 of the 244 Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) in service with the Bundeswehr are operationally ready. A further 53 vehicles – thought to be Leopard 2A6Ms – are being converted to the new Leopard 2A6M+ standard, and 86 are in a state of
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Norway receives first AW101 SAR helicopter
Norway has received the first of 16 AgustaWestland AW101 search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters, it was announced on 20 November. The helicopter was handed over to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice & Public Security after departing Leonardo’s Yeovil facility in the United Kingdom on 17
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MPs debate Red Arrows Hawk upgrade
A UK member of parliament has called on the government to invest in an upgrade to the aircraft used by the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows aerobatic group to maintain production facilities and encourage exports of the BAE Systems Hawk trainer.
Speaking before the House of Commons on 16 November,
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Russia’s A-100 AWACS makes maiden flight
Russia has flown its first prototype A-100 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft based on the upgraded Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A (Il-476) airframe, it was announced on 20 November.
The A-100 Premier, as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation named it, made its maiden
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Russia launches Borey-A SSBN and begins development of Borey-B
The first new Borey-A ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) variant for the Russian Navy was launched on 17 November.
Three project 955 Borey-class SSBNs are currently in service. The first of the Borey-A variants, Knyaz Vladimir , was laid down in July 2012 in a ceremony attended by Russian President
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Proposals submitted for serial production of Altay tank
Otokar, Nurol Holding-BAE Systems joint venture FNSS, and BMC, which is 49% owned by the Qatari Armed Forces Industry Committee (AFIC), submitted proposals to the Turkish Defence Industries Undersecretariat (SSM) on 16 November for the production of 250 Altay third-generation main battle tanks
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Portugal to phase out Alpha Jet A
The remaining six Alpha Jet A training aircraft of Squadron 103 ‘Caracóis’ at Beja airbase will be withdrawn from service in January 2018, the Portuguese Air Force has told Jane’s .
The aircraft were used for advanced training and operational conversion to F-16AM/BM fighters.
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BAE to expand Virginia workforce
BAE Systems will increase its workforce by approximately 100 people as a result of new contracts from the US Navy to modernise the USS Tortuga dock landing ship.
About 16 months of restorative work will be carried out on the vessel at BAE’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, under a USD139.8
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Aero completes development of new L-39CW-variant Albatros
Aero Vodochody has completed development of a new variant of its L-39 trainer and light attack aircraft designated the L-39CW, the company announced on 20 November.
The L-39CW involves retrofitting an existing L-39 with a more powerful and more efficient Williams International FJ44-4M jet engine as
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USN provides more frigate details to prospective bidders
Although the cost for the new US Navy frigate (FFG[X]) will be an important consideration, the service will put more weight on other combined ship and programmatic attributes, US Navy (USN) officials told prospective bidders on 17 November.
“Non-price factors, when combined, are considered
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