Raytheon is planning a pair of flight tests for its new ground-based air defence missile constructed around the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM).
For the past two years the company has been internally funding and developing an extended-range (ER) variant of its AMRAAM for
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Raytheon to test AMRAAM-ER ground-based air defence missile
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Private equity fund announces MB Aerospace buyout
UK defence and aerospace component manufacturer and repairer MB Aerospace is to be acquired by private equity fund Blackstone equity partners, the companies announced on 26 October.
MB Aerospace maintains facilities in Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with customers including
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Pakistan claims first ever night-time attack using indigenously built UAV
Pakistan's armed forces claimed on 22 October to have successfully carried out the first ever night-time attack on a Taliban target using the indigenously built Burraq unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
It followed Pakistan's claim on 7 September that it carried out the first ever UAV attack on a
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NATO set to extend Afghan mission due to Taliban offensive
NATO's hoped-for goal of reducing the size of its 'Resolute Support' mission in Afghanistan looks increasingly tenuous as the country's security deteriorates, admit allied diplomats and military officials.
"The view across our militaries is unanimous: 'Resolute Support' has to be extended. Its
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Jordan needs more AT-802 aircraft to prevent US combat casualties
The delivery to Jordan of four Air Tractor AT-802 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft is a "counter-terrorism priority" for US Central Command (CENTCOM), according to a document released via the US Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website.
The partially
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India to induct its first women fighter pilots by mid-2017
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct its first ever batch of women fighter pilots by mid-2017, India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 24 October.
They will be selected from among seven women who are presently undergoing training at the Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dindigul, southern India,
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Egypt restarts tank production
Egypt's Factory 200 has restarted production of M1A1 Abrams tanks, the Egyptian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 25 October.
The tank plant in the Helwan industrial zone south of Cairo assembles Abrams kits that are produced by General Dynamics in the United States. The US froze the transfer
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Japan formally selects Boeing's KC-46A aircraft to meet tanker requirement
Japan's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has announced its selection of Boeing's KC-46A Pegasus aircraft to meet Japan's Air Self-Defense Force's (JASDF's) KC-X requirement for additional air-to-air refuelling and transport capability.
A spokesman from the MoD confirmed to IHS Jane's on 27 October that
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India's Defence Minister calls on industry to address naval construction shortfalls
India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has called on the Indian Navy (IN) and domestic industry to address the remaining shortfalls in indigenous naval shipbuilding capability and related system development.
In an address to the Naval Commanders' Conference of 2015 in New Delhi on 26 October,
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Canadian Liberal party confirms it will rewrite fighter requirement
A source inside Canada's Liberal Party, which secured a parliamentary majority in the country's federal elections on 19 October, confirmed to Reuters on 26 October that the party will completely restart the process of finding a replacement for the country's CF-18 Hornets.
Party leader and Prime
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Camcopter completes South African Navy trials
A Schiebel Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has completed shipboard trials with the South African Navy (SAN), the Austrian company announced on 27 October.
It said the trials were carried out from 20-23 October aboard the survey vessel SAS Protea and described them as successful,
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Australian border force loans two Cape-class offshore patrol vessels to navy
Key Points
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is currently operating two Cape-class patrol boats on loan from the Australian Border Force
The vessels have been transferred temporarily to support the RAN's efforts to meet its border security operations commitments
The Australian Border Force (ABF)
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China warns Washington after USN destroyer conducts FON mission in South China Sea
Key Points
Beijing has expressed 'strong dissatisfaction' after a US Navy destroyer operated within 12 n miles of a Chinese-made artificial island in the South China Sea for the first time
The operation, which had been expected for weeks, follows a series of public disagreements between the two
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Sweden announces Gripen bid for Croatia
Swedish defence export agency FXM announced on 24 October that the country was officially offering the Saab JAS 39 Gripen C/D for Croatia's fighter replacement requirement.
The announcement followed a request for information from the Croatian Ministry of Defence (MoD) in June to procure between
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T-Loramids decision nearing, says Turkish procurement chief
Turkey is close to making a final decision on its T-Loramids surface-to-air missile (SAM) programme, Ismail Demir, head of the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) stated on 26 October.
The multi-billion-dollar T-Loramids programme has been ongoing since Turkey downselected the Chinese
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Pentagon budget 2016: White House, Republicans strike two-year budget deal
Key Points
A two-year deal was struck between the White House and Republican leaders to raise caps from the 2011 Budget Control Act
The proposal would provide about USD607 billion in total national defence budget authority in FY 2016
The White House and Republican congressional leaders have
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Israeli companies hope advanced satellites will attract new clients
ANALYSIS
Israeli defence companies are investing in developing a range of advanced military satellite systems that they hope will attract foreign customers.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is currently in talks with the South Korean government on a possible joint development programme for
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Yemeni rebels claim third anti-ship missile attack
Ansar Allah, the Yemeni group that ousted the country's president last year, claimed on 26 October that it had sunk a naval vessel off the coast of Taizz province using an anti-ship missile.
This was the third time the group claimed to have launched an attack on a naval vessel operated by the Arab
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USMC CH-53K conducts first test flight
The US Marine Corps' (USMC's) CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter completed its first test flight on 27 October, about a seven-month delay due mainly to problems with the helicopter's main gear box, company and military officials said during a teleconference.
"This is a key step toward fielding this
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Russia has started work on Iranian S-300s
Anatoly Isaikin, the director of Russian state arms export agency Rosoboronexport, has said that work on Iran's S-300 long-range air defence systems has already begun.
Iran originally ordered S-300 systems from Russia in 2007, but Moscow cancelled the contract in 2010. President Vladimir Putin
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