China, Thailand agree to increase defence industrial links
China and Thailand agreed on 23 December to step up defence industrial collaboration as part of an increasingly close partnership. In meetings in Beijing between Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Thai...
View ArticleBrazil announces new defence minister
Brazilian president Dilma Vana Rousseff announced on 23 December that Jaques Wagner would replace the current minister of defence, Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, who has been in the post since August 2011....
View ArticleBAE wins Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle programme contract
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract for the US Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) programme worth up to USD1.2 billion, the company announced on 24 December. The contract guarantees USD383...
View ArticleUK reviews Falklands defence as Russia offers Su-24s to Argentina
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to conduct a review of its plans for the defence of the Falkland Islands following reports that Russia is to supply Argentina with Sukhoi Su-24 'Fencer' strike...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia offers surplus F-5s for sale
Saudi Arabia is looking to offload its remaining Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II combat aircraft, according to a solicitation posted online on 18 December. The proposed sale, details of which were posted on...
View ArticleKC-46A test aircraft makes maiden flight
A KC-46A-provisioned Boeing 767-2C aircraft made its maiden flight from Paine Field in Washington on 28 December, the company announced. The flight, which lasted 3 hours and 32 minutes, involved a...
View ArticleUSS Tortuga repaired after allision with buoy off coast of Virginia
A US Navy (USN) amphibious dock landing ship that struck a buoy off the US eastern coast has been repaired. Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD-46) completed a month-long period of...
View ArticleUS ends Afghan combat mission, shifts to Operation 'Freedom's Sentinel'
The US military's mission in Afghanistan will officially change from Operation 'Enduring Freedom' to Operation 'Freedom's Sentinel' as US and NATO personnel officially begin an advise and assist role...
View ArticleRussian rearmament programme one third complete at halfway point
Russia's 10-year state rearmament programme has reached its halfway point but is only one third completed, the deputy chairman of the government's military industrial commission has conceded. Oleg...
View ArticleJapan, South Korea, US sign North Korean intel-sharing pact
Japan, South Korea, and the United States signed an agreement on 29 December to share classified information on North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. Under the agreement, South Korea and Japan...
View ArticleJapan receives second AN/TPY-2 BMD radar
The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 29 December that it has deployed a second high-resolution, phased-array X-band AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defence (BMD) radar system to Japan. The...
View ArticleItalian government selects new defence chief
The Italian government selected Lieutenant General Claudio Graziano as the new chief of defence in a cabinet meeting held on 24 December. Lt Gen Graziano, who is currently the chief of staff of the...
View ArticleBrazilian Army receives upgraded lightweight helicopters
Airbus Helicopters' Brazilian operation, Helibras, has delivered an initial four locally modernised HA-1 lightweight helicopters to the Brazilian Army Aviation Command. The delivery was announced on 26...
View ArticleUSS Fort Worth arrives in Singapore on 16-month Asia-Pacific deployment
Key Points USS Fort Worth, the US Navy's third Littoral Combat Ship, arrived in Singapore's Changi Naval Base on 29 December for a 16-month deployment in the Asia-Pacific region Fort Worth will trial a...
View ArticleMoD to fly damaged Voyager back to UK for repairs
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the AirTanker consortium hope to return to the UK an Airbus A330-200 Voyager tanker-transport aircraft that was damaged in a recent parking incident in Canada, an...
View ArticleIslamic State releases interview with downed Jordanian pilot
The Islamic State has released an interview purportedly with the Jordanian F-16 pilot who was captured by the militant group in Syria on 24 December. Although the interview includes some details that...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia reportedly blocks arms shipment from Pakistan to Nigeria
Saudi Arabia is refusing to allow cargo aircraft loaded with defence items to fly from Pakistan to Nigeria through its airspace, This Day reported on 29 December. Citing unidentified intelligence...
View ArticleIndian parliamentary committee slams government for defence failures
Key Points A parliamentary report has strongly criticised the Indian government for serial failures to equip and maintain the country's armed forces The report says a culture of 'ad hocism' in planning...
View ArticleIndia and South Korea reaffirm defence equipment collaboration
South Korea and India have reaffirmed a commitment to collaborate in defence production, it was announced on 29 December. A statement issued following the India-South Korea joint commission in Seoul...
View ArticleFirst serial-production Il-76MD-90A airlifter makes maiden flight
The first serial-production Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A (Il-476) strategic transport aircraft has made its maiden flight, the Aviastar-SP production facility announced on 30 December. Aircraft 0104 flew for...
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