PAC announces start of JF-17 Block 2 construction
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) on 18 December rolled out its 50th and final JF-17 Block 1 Thunder fighter aircraft, and announced the launch of Block 2 production. A ceremony to mark the event...
View ArticleMore than 100 Indian officials faced corruption probes since 2012, Antony...
Indian Defence Minister A K Antony said in parliament on 18 December that more than 100 officials from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been investigated over alleged corruption activities during the...
View ArticleMaiden flight for Australia's C-27J Spartan airlifter
The first Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan transport aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) made its maiden flight on 19 December. The twin-turboprop airlifter departed Alenia's production...
View ArticleIndia looks to boost maritime cooperation in IOR with the Seychelles and...
India is expanding its strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by including Mauritius and the Seychelles in a trilateral security grouping that already comprises the Maldives and Sri...
View ArticleCongress approves two-year deal, relieves sequester
Key Points The bill raises the mandated 'national defence' budget caps to USD520.5 billion this year IHS Jane's estimates the DoD's base budget authority for FY14 is likely to be around USD497 billion...
View ArticleCameroon receives more patrol boats
Cameroon continues to expand its maritime security capabilities, taking delivery of 15 boats from the Spanish shipbuilder Grup Aresa Internacional in 2013, with two larger offshore vessels due to be...
View ArticleBrazilian F-X2 deal gives fresh impetus to Saab's Sea Gripen concept
Brazil's decision to procure the Saab JAS 39 Gripen E to satisfy its F-X2 fighter replacement programme has breathed new life into the company's Sea Gripen concept, a source told IHS Jane's on 19...
View ArticleWork begins to repair tsunami-damaged Japanese fighters
Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have begun repairing those F-2B fighter aircraft of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) that were seriously damaged by the March 2011...
View ArticleVoyager begins Afghan air bridge flights
The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has begun flying its Airbus Military A330-200 Voyager tanker transport aircraft into Afghanistan, the AirTanker consortium responsible for the Voyager's operation announced...
View ArticleUS Army grounds AH-64E fleet
The US Army has grounded its Boeing AH-64E fleet following an accident involving the helicopter's main transmission at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington state. The army issued a 'Safety of Flight'...
View ArticleUpdate: Rand report: F-35, other joint fighter programmes do not save money
Key Points F-35 life cycle costs are higher than what they would have been if each US military service built its own fighter, according to Rand The report found that F-35 life cycle costs were high...
View ArticleUK will not use UAVs for maritime patrol ... for now
The United Kingdom will not fill its manned airborne maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability gap with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) any time soon, a government minister stated on...
View ArticleUK to benefit from Brazilian F-X2 deal
The United Kingdom (UK) is set to reap the rewards following Brazil's USD4.5 billion decision to select the Saab Gripen E to fulfil its F-X2 fighter replacement requirement. With many of the Gripen's...
View ArticleUganda deploys troops to South Sudan amid signs of civil war
The Ugandan military confirmed on 20 December that it was deploying troops to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, as reports of increasingly systematic killing of ethnic Nuer there heightened fears that...
View ArticleTejas receives IOC
India's locally designed Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) Mk I received its initial operational clearance (IOC) at Bangalore on 20 December, 30 years after the programme began. "The success achieved...
View ArticleNorway awards AW101 contract
Norway has signed a contract with AgustaWestland for 16 AW101 helicopters for the Norwegian All Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) programme, it was announced on 19 December. Worth GBP1...
View ArticleNigerian Air Force unveils UAV
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) unveiled its first indigenously developed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a ceremony attended by President Goodluck Jonathon at the Kaduna air base on 17 December....
View ArticleHuangdican AB imagery shows scope of Chinese carrier ambitions
Recent satellite imagery of the PLA Navy Air Force's (PLANAF's) Huangdican Airbase (AB) shows the extent of China's progress in creating training infrastructure for its carrier-based fighter aircraft -...
View ArticleFinland negotiating for Dutch Leopard 2A6 MBTs
Finland has entered negotiations with the Netherlands to purchase around 100 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBTs), the Finnish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 18 December. "The preparations for...
View Articledw -- Congress passes FY14 defence authorisation bill
The US Senate late on 19 December passed an authorisation bill that was rushed through the lower chamber the previous week as lawmakers sought to ensure certain congressionally sanctioned measures did...
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