India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering private sector involvement in designing the Mk 2 version of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which has been under development by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for over three decades.
Official sources said the MoD was 'seriously'
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India mulls foreign, private help for Tejas Mk 2
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Afghanistan to equip MD 530F helos with rockets
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is to beef up the armament of its MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters with air-to-surface rockets, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 13 July.
The seven-tube M260 launcher for the 70mm (2.75 inch) rockets is to be integrated onto the
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Russian 'Bear' bombers set to be grounded again following Far East crash
The Russian Air Force (Voyenno-Vozdushnyye Sily - VVS) is set to ground its ageing Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear' strategic bomber fleet for a second time in barely a month after the loss of an aircraft over the country's Far East on 14 July.
The grounding, which had not been ordered at the time of writing
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Cameron calls for more spending on 'spy planes, drones, and special forces'
Key Points
The UK prime minister has called for more spending on "readily deployable counter-terrorist capabilities" to address the threat posed by Islamic State
The ongoing SDSR will dictate to what extent UK service chiefs can comply with such a request
UK prime minister David Cameron
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Turkey further extends T-Loramids contest
Turkey has further extended a deadline for the validity of the various rival bids for its T-Loramids air-defence system programme after they expired on 30 June.
Sources from the Turkish Defence Industries Undersecretariat (SSM), however, have told IHS Jane's that they did not formally request this
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SCO opens its doors to India and Pakistan
At the annual Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) summit, held in Ufa, Russia, on 9-10 July, the member states (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) agreed that India and Pakistan should progress from being observer nations to full members.
The remit of the SCO
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Pentagon policy chief talks partner building against Islamic State
The US Department of Defense's top policy official on 13 July outlined the Obama administration's efforts to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria through the development of local military capability.
Christine Wormuth, returning to the Center for Strategic and International Studies
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Nigerian president replaces service chiefs
In an apparent attempt to shake-up counter-insurgency operations, Nigeria's new president Muhammadu Buhari has replaced the chiefs of staff of all three services months before schedule, as well as the chief of defence intelligence (CDI) and national security advisor (NSA).
Nigeria's service chiefs
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Amid Iran deal, Russia renews opposition to US missile defence in Europe
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said during a 14 July press briefing in Vienna that he expects the United States will, given the nuclear deal with Iran, halt its efforts to install missile defence systems in Europe that Russia has long viewed as a threat to its own nuclear deterrent.
It was
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US, Singaporean navies debut UAV operations in 'CARAT' exercise
Key Points
The Singaporean phase of Exercise 'CARAT' 2015 will feature ScanEagle and Fire Scout UAV operations
The complexity of exercises signals greater interoperability between US and Singaporean navies
An annual bilateral exercise between the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the US Navy
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United Shipbuilding Corporation expects profit in 2015, plans shipyard divestment
Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) is expecting to generate a net profit for the second year running in 2015, the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) revealed on 14 July.
According to an interview published by news agency ITAR-TASS, USC CEO Alexei Rakhmanov said that the company was
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Ukraine receives first modernised T-80 MBTs
The Ukrainian military has received a first batch of eight modernised T-80 main battle tanks (MBTs) from the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB).
According to Ukroboronprom, the T-80s would soon enter the "zone of the antiterrorist operation" (ATO), a term Kiev uses to
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Think tank questions Abbott's plans for 'rolling' shipbuilding programme
The rolling production in Australia of major surface warships as foreshadowed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott will produce several contentious issues, a leading think tank has warned.
In a report released on 13 July, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) described continuous production as
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Textron touts Scorpion to Bulgaria in bid to secure first customer
Textron AirLand has demonstrated the capabilities of its Scorpion aircraft to Bulgaria and others, as it looks to secure a first sale of the type during a post-Paris Air Show tour of Europe, the company disclosed in early July.
The tandem twin-seat and twin-engine jet, which is being touted as a
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Taliban offensive in Faryab province 'led by ISI officer'
The Taliban launched an offensive in the northern Afghan province of Faryab on 6 July, in which unverified reports suggest that the insurgents are being led by foreign fighters.
In one particular assertion Abdul Sator Borez, acting governor of Faryab, claimed that one killed leader of the
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Safran plans expansion in Malaysia
French group Safran has outlined an intention to expand in Malaysia to meet emerging regional opportunities in aerospace, defence, and security.
State-run news agency Bernama on 15 July quoted Jean-Pierre Cojan, Safran's senior vice-president, as saying that the company has recently opened an
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M-ATVs turn up in Aden
At least a dozen Oshkosh All-Terrain Mine-Resistance Ambush Protected Vehicles (M-ATVs) have been delivered to Yemeni and are being used in the fighting for the strategically important port city of Aden.
Amateur videos and photographs of the M-ATVs in Aden began to emerge on social media channels
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Indian MoD approves kit worth USD4.5 billion
India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved procurements worth INR280.58 billion (USD4.52 billion) for the Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Army on 14 July.
These included four additional Boeing P-8I Neptune long-range maritime patrol aircraft for INR43.8 billion: a follow-on order to eight similar
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EDA being kept out of European MALE UAV initiative
Key Points
The three nations collaborating on a European MALE UAV are keeping the EDA's involvement in the project to a minimum
This has raised concerns of whether, without EDA involvement, the project may descend into an ineffective and costly battle for industrial workshare
France, Germany, and
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AVIC profits rise following restructuring
AVIC Aviation Engine Corporation - a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) - said on 14 July that half-year profits had risen strongly on the back of corporate restructuring.
The company, known formerly as the Xian Aero-Engine Corporation (XAEC), said preliminary estimates
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