Key Points
NATO's Maritime Command (MARCOM) has a new commanding officer in post
MARCOM continues to seek best use of maritime assets across alliance areas of interest
NATO's Maritime Command (MARCOM) has a new commanding officer in post, at a time of increasing instability in Europe and as NATO
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NATO MARCOM handover ceremony highlights need to optimise operational output in face of growing risks
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Indian Navy commissions locally built torpedo recovery vessel
The Indian Navy (IN) commissioned INS Astradharini , its first indigenous torpedo launch-and-recovery vessel, at Vishkhapatnam naval base on 9 October.
Officials said the catamaran hull-form had significantly reduced the 50 m vessel's power requirements. The vessel was designed by the state-run
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EU foreign policy chief recognises Russian role in any Syrian settlement
Russia's bombing of targets in Syria other than UN-designated terrorist groups must halt immediately, says the EU, which now suggests Moscow could have an "important role" in moving combatants within the country to a truce and a transitional government.
Russian military attacks that go
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AUSA 2015: US Army prepares for Chinook Block 2 RfP release
Key Points
The army plans to release a solicitation for a Block 2 Chinook next year
While Block 2 enhancements are still being defined, survivability and performance upgrades will largely be based on existing technologies
The US Army plans to release a request for proposals (RfP) in early 2016
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AUSA 2015: Neany develops armed autonomous surface vessel
Neany, a company based in Hollywood, Maryland, has developed an autonomous surface vessel geared for defence and security missions in coastal and inland waterways, a company official told IHS Jane's on 12 October at the Association of the US Army's (AUSA's) annual symposium in Washington, DC.
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AUSA 2015: Lockheed Martin reveals new cyber-enabled counter-UAV system
Lockheed Martin Corp has unveiled a new ground-based system to detect and counter unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) at the Association of the US Army (AUSA) annual symposium in Washington, DC.
The system, called ICARUS, is designed to detect, identify, and then intercept UAVs via a range of sensors and
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AUSA 2015: Communications networks remain challenging for army, SOF collaboration, general says
Interdependence and collaboration have improved between general purpose and special operations forces (SOF), but a US Army commanding general said on 12 October that military communications networks and mission command architectures are not conducive to supporting that continued interoperability.
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AUSA 2015: Bell emphasises affordable tiltrotor tech in US Army FVL offering
Key Points
Bell Helicopter is working to make next-generation tiltrotor technology more affordable
The company wants to end its JMR technology demonstration at a high enough technology readiness level to enter production by 2025
Bell Helicopter is working to make next-generation tiltrotor
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AUSA 2015: Army seeks to translate Ukraine lessons into acquisition solutions
The US Army is working to internalise lessons learned from Russia's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, and its acquisition executive will soon host a seven-hour classified session to consider how new intelligence might translate into new solutions.
Heidi Shyu, the army's acquisition executive,
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AUSA 2015: A full-year CR would cut army budget by $6.1b, halt new-starts
The US Army would face a USD6.1 billion deficit against its request and struggle to advance a bevy of development and procurement efforts if a full-year Continuing Resolution (CR) budget is used to fund the government in fiscal year 2016.
The US government is currently funded through a stop-gap CR
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Iran unveils 'high precision' Emad ballistic missile
Iran announced on 11 October that it had tested a new, more accurate 'long-range' ballistic missile.
Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan was quoted as saying the Emad "is able to strike targets with a high level of precision and completely destroy them; [it] is the first long-range missile of the
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Final Dutch MH17 report finds Buk SAM responsible
Key Points
The official report into the MH17 tragedy has found a Russian-made Buk missile responsible
The shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 killed all 298 on board
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a Buk surface to air missile (SAM)
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Eurofighter identifies 'non-conformance' issue with Typhoon assembly
Customers of the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft have been notified of a build issue with the jet that relates to how the tail is fitted to the fuselage, a consortium spokesperson confirmed to IHS Jane's on 13 October.
The confirmation that a "manufacturing non-conformance" has been
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AUSA 2015: Army predicts $15b FMS next year, following $20b in 2015
The US Army, through the government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, sold USD20 billion in army gear abroad in 2015, according to Heidi Shyu, the army's acquisition executive.
She believes the sales highlight the quality of US Army equipment, which often gets criticised for acquisition
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AUSA 2015: Army defends high cost for up-gunned Stryker
US Congress defence committee leaders agreed to authorise USD411 million to add heavier weapons to 81 of the US Army's Stryker wheeled personnel carriers in fiscal year 2016, and army acquisition officials defended that high per-system cost as necessary for a small and rapid procurement.
The army
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UK donates equipment to new Jordanian force
The UK government announced on 12 October that it was donating a GBP2.5 million (USD3.8 million) package of non-lethal equipment to the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) for its Quick Reaction Force.
It said that the equipment includes transport vehicles, body armour, communications and IT equipment and
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Taliban leave Kunduz with weapons, MBT, threaten other provincial capitals
The Taliban have retreated from the city of Kunduz on 13 October after having overtaken it on 28 September.
The insurgents left with a significant number of weapons, including at least one Soviet-era T-62 main battle tank.
According to an official Taliban statement, the insurgents "took into
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Iraq unveils CH-4 UAVs
Iraq has confirmed that the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) CH-4 armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system is in service with the aviation branch of its army.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 10 October that a UAV had carried out its first attack on a
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Indian MoD issues guidelines to streamline procurement complaints
India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued guidelines to fast-track procurements by disregarding anonymous complaints regarding equipment purchases and imposing penalties on "frivolous" objections raised by disgruntled competitors.
Crucial materiel purchases have been delayed for
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India moves towards letting women become fighter pilots
The Indian Air Force (IAF) may soon induct women as fighter pilots, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on 9 October.
Speaking to reporters at a parade marking the 66th anniversary of the Territorial Army in New Delhi, Parrikar said a policy decision on this issue would be taken soon.
"The
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