Australia's state-owned naval shipbuilder ASC has pointed to claimed improvements in performance as evidence of its capability to participate in future programmes under Canberra's newly announced "continuous build" naval construction programme.
In a statement to IHS Jane's following the
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ASC looks to position itself for Australian navy 'continuous build' programmes
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Thales F90 assault rifle poised to enter mainstream Australian service
Key Points
Thales has been awarded a AUD100 million contract to deliver 30,000 new-generation bullpup assault rifles and around 2,500 integrated rifle grenade launchers to the Australian Defence Force
Initial batches of the new rifle are being issued to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian
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Latvia to buy Stinger MANPADS
Latvia has decided to buy FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS) from the United States, the country's chief of defence staff has stated.
Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube made his comments on Latvian state TV after returning from a visit to the United States, noting that a
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Spain announces 2016 defence budget
Spain's centre right government has for the second year running set a miniscule increase of just 0.4% for defence spending in its 2016 budget.
The total will be EUR5.73 billion according to the figures presented to parliament on 4 August, although this amount does not include various extra payments
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Smaller tech companies work to navigate Pentagon, DARPA
The Pentagon is in the process of evaluating potential solutions to protect the millions of systems on Department of Defense (DoD) networks, but its strategy may be leaving some smaller cyber security companies unable to compete.
Anup Ghosh, a former programme manager at the Defense Advanced
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Reliance's acquisition of Pipavav hits delays over approvals
Reliance Infrastructure's open offer to acquire a further major stake in Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering is being impeded by delays in approvals from the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), it has been claimed.
The open offer - featuring a 26% stake in Pipavav worth INR12.6 billion (USD200
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Pentagon seeks recruits at Black Hat 2015 hacker conference
The world's largest gathering of self-described hackers, the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, opened to the media on 5 August, with major defence contractors, security researchers, government officials mingling with hacking enthusiasts as the Pentagon - and US government - struggle to recruit
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No timeline for NATO support package for Iraq
NATO's new offer of a "defence capacity-building package" for Iraq is impressive on paper for its scope and variety of tasks, but the alliance cannot say at this point when it will be implemented or which tasks should have priority over others.
"The defence capacity programme will
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New Turkish Chief of General Staff appointed
Turkey has appointed a new chief of general staff, with Turkish Land Forces Commander General Hulusi Akar being promoted to the role on 5 August.
Gen Akar will service a four-year term until 2019 and replaces General Necdet Özel, who is retiring.
The appointments were made during the three
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Lockheed Martin seeks inroads to hacker community
Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defence company, is using the Black Hat 2015 conference to help build a bridge to the hacking community and recruit for hundreds of open positions.
Much of the company's presence is in the form of its commercial cyber business, an area that Lockheed recently
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Indian MoD restarts army FICV programme
Key Points
The Indian Ministry of Defence has asked 10 local companies to offer designs for a Future Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The USD6.9 billion programme foresees joint ventures with foreign primes to design and produce a fleet of 2,610 tracked and wheeled vehicles for the Indian Army
India's
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France and Russia agree to Mistral export termination
Russia and France have formally announced the cancellation of the troubled Mistral-class amphibious assault ships export contract that had been suspended since 2014 as a result of events in Ukraine.
The Kremlin and the Elysee issued joint statements on 5 August confirming the termination of the
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First Chun-Mu long-range rocket systems enter South Korean service
The Republic of Korea Army has begun deploying the Hanwha Chun-Mu long-range multiple rocket system (LRMRS), South Korea's Defence Agency for Technology and Quality (DTAQ) said in a 4 August statement. IHS Jane's reported in December 2014 that Hanwa had completed development of the Chun-Mu LRMRS,
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Deputy CNO says both F-35 and UCLASS needed for future carrier air wing
Key Points
The USN sees the F-35 as "absolutely essential" in an A2/AD environment
The service wants to partner the F-35 with the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is "essential" to the US Navy (USN), while an Unmanned
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Afghan 'Hip' transport helo crashed
A Mil Mi-17 'Hip' transport helicopter of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) crashed in the southeastern province of Zabul on 6 August.
The Russian-built helicopter came down in a mountainous region at about 1100 h local time. The cause of the incident has not yet been officially disclosed, and neither has
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First parts ordered for UK's new Type 26 frigates
The Royal Navy's future fleet of Type 26 Global Combat Ships moved forward on 5 August with the ordering of the first long lead items for the vessels.
In total seven contracts, worth GBP170 million (USD265 million), were placed by prime contractor BAE Systems with some of its key subcontractors.
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Brazilian Senate approves Gripen financing deal
The Brazilian Federal Senate has approved a USD4.6 billion financing agreement for the procurement of 36 Saab Gripen E/F fighter aircraft, the Reuters news agency reported.
The agreement, which was signed on 5 August, ratifies a deal between the Brazilian Ministry of Defence and Swedish Export
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Analysis: Boom time beckons for Iranian air force, with sanctions set to be lifted
Just weeks after Iran agreed in Vienna a deal limiting its ability to manufacture a nuclear bomb, the Iranian air force is already positioning itself to revamp its ageing inventory, all but crippled by 36 years of international sanctions, reports Gareth Jennings .
Under a deal signed on 14 July
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PLAN holds 'largest-ever' firepower display in SCS drills
Key Points
A 10-day naval exercise in the South China Sea was the largest-ever display of firepower by China's PLAN, according to state media
The exercise involved over 100 ships and also showed what is likely the first images of an ASROC-type missile being fired from a Type 054A frigate
A
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Ex-senior PLA official latest to be prosecuted on corruption charges
Guo Boxiong, a former vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the country's most powerful defence institution, has been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on charges of corruption and was handed over to military prosecutors on 30 July.
Xinhua news agency reported
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