Obama visits DoD to talk missions, budget
President Barack Obama paid a rare visit to the Pentagon on 8 October to hear how military leaders and combatant commanders are dealing with the wide variety of tasks recently given to the US...
View ArticleIndia clears defence projects for business licences
The Indian government announced on 7 October that it had cleared 19 proposals for industrial licences, allowing the firms to launch production of defence equipment lines in India. In addition to the...
View ArticleIDF steps up tunnel warfare training following Gaza war
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is prioritising tunnel warfare training as part of the lessons learned during the 50-day conflict with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip in July and August. The...
View ArticleGermany outlines military export approvals
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has informed the country's parliament about defence exports approved earlier by the Bundessicherheitsrat; the parliamentary security...
View ArticleFrance says $3bn arms sale to Lebanon will proceed
French president François Hollande has approved the sale of defence and security equipment to Lebanon under a USD3 billion Saudi grant, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on 8 October....
View ArticleBrazil to set aside BRL1bn in 2015 for Gripen purchase
The Brazilian government has indicated its intention to set aside around BRL1 billion (USD417 million) in the 2015 draft annual budget law for the acquisition of the 36 Saab Gripen NG multirole combat...
View ArticleSatellite imagery shows Parchin explosion aftermath
Satellite imagery indicates that there was an explosion at Iran’s Parchin military research, development, and production facility on 5 October, raising fears about safety precautions at a site where...
View ArticleIslamic State uses MANPADS against Iraqi helo
The Islamic State branch in Iraq's Salah-al-Din province has released images showing a militant firing a Chinese FN-6 man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) at an Iraqi Army helicopter near the town...
View ArticleUpdate: Former Finmeccanica executives jailed for fraud but cleared of...
The former chief executive of Finmeccanica and former head of subsidiary AgustaWestland were each sentenced to two years in prison for falsifying invoices on 9 October, but were acquitted on more...
View ArticleUK plans wideband upgrade for Sonar 2093
UK Royal Navy (RN) Sandown-class minehunters are set to receive an enhanced Sonar 2093 variable depth minehunting sonar incorporating a wideband capability, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed...
View ArticleTaiwan makes progress on Taiping Island harbour
Taiwan is making progress on its construction of a harbour on Taiping Island in the Spratly Islands, according to satellite imagery provided by Airbus Defence and Space and analysed by IHS Jane's . The...
View ArticleShip shortages restricting Latin American counter-narcotics operations, say...
Key Points Officials have intelligence on 80% of the narcotics being trafficked in Latin America, but are only able to interdict one-quarter of that number SOUTHCOM is charged with stopping 40% of the...
View ArticleRussian Helicopters granted limited export rights
Russian Helicopters - the state-controlled holding company behind Russia's rotary-wing aerospace assets - has announced that it has been granted the right to sell spare parts, components, and technical...
View ArticleRussia renewing its space-based early warning system
Russia is developing a new unified space system to detect ballistic missile launches, with creating the new system being a "key direction" of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent, Russian Minister of...
View ArticlePeru signs for SH-2G Super Seasprites
Peruvian and Canadian defence authorities on 9 October signed an agreement for the Peruvian Navy to receive five Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite multirole helicopters. The deal covers the acquisition of...
View ArticlePakistan Army to recruit 14,000 troops in tribal areas over next five years
General Raheel Sharif, the chief of staff of the Pakistan Army, announced on 6 October that the army will recruit 14,000 soldiers from the tribal areas along the Afghan border over the next five years....
View ArticleIndonesia showcases military strength against backdrop of SCS tensions
The Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentera Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) displayed its latest military acquisitions on 7 October at the country's annual military parade against a backdrop of growing tensions...
View ArticleIndia, Pakistan exchange fire on Jammu and Kashmir border
India and Pakistan continued to exchange mortar and small arms fire along the disputed Jammu and Kashmir border on 9 October after a week of firing that has left 17 civilians dead. The exchanges, along...
View ArticleIndia cancels LAHAT installation on Arjun Mk II
The Indian Army recently rejected an Israeli missile that was to have been fitted onto the indigenously designed Arjun Mk II main battle tank (MBT), further delaying the upgraded platform's induction...
View ArticleIAF chief offers grim prognosis on platform procurement, combat capability
An appreciable decline in the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) ageing combat fleet has been further exacerbated by enduring delays in key acquisition and platform development programmes, Air Chief Marshal...
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