Rafale deal sinks further into India's procurement mire
Key Points India's Rafale contract will not now be signed before the country's elections as most of the current defence budget has now been spent Cost hikes and disputes over licensed production have...
View ArticleOman's defence budget rises again
Oman's budget proposal for 2014 raises defence spending by 4.1% to OMR3.7 billion (USD9.6 billion), according to a report released by the Bank of Muscat. As a share of GDP, however, the rise will see...
View ArticleIndian MoD asks govt to fast-track VIP helo replacement plans
India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has asked the federal government to fast-track the purchase of helicopters for VIP transport duties. The request follows its 1 January termination of the contract for...
View ArticleIndian artillery programmes progress with conclusion of field trials
The Indian Army's long-postponed artillery procurement programme has incrementally moved ahead, with two 155 mm/52-calibre howitzer system types having recently completed field trials. Two rival towed...
View ArticleHijacked vessel implicated in alleged hijacking off Angola
The Nigerian Navy (NN) has identified one of the vessels that was involved in the alleged hijacking of a tanker off Angola as a ship that was itself the victim of a hijacking a year earlier. In a...
View ArticleFrance receives first upgraded M270 LRU
The first three upgraded Lockheed Martin M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRSs) have now been delivered to the French Army. Speaking to IHS Jane's on 5 February, a spokesperson for the French Army...
View ArticleDefexpo 2014: Nexter unveils Indian version of CAESAR
Nexter Systems unveiled a new version of its CAESAR 155 mm mounted gun system at the Defexpo 2014 exhibition in New Delhi. The French company has teamed up with Indian companies Larsen & Toubro...
View ArticleCivilians flee North Waziristan as threat of conflict looms
Hundreds of families have fled Pakistan's North Waziristan border region, while many more are preparing to leave in a sign of growing public nervousness over the prospect of major battles between the...
View ArticleVenezuela seeks heavier armaments for OPVs
The Venezuelan Navy plans to equip its ocean patrol vessels (OPVs) with defensive weapons identified as surface-to-surface (SSM) and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, according to a notice...
View ArticleUK to approve bulk F-35B buy in 2017
Financial approval for the UK's main procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)/Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) is expected in the next three years, a government...
View ArticleSingapore registers concerns about Indonesian OPV name
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has registered its concerns about the name of a new Indonesian Nakhoda Ragam-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), KRI Usman Harun . The vessel is named...
View ArticlePalestinians propose NATO border force
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has said it will accept the deployment of NATO forces along the border between the West Bank and Jordan to ensure security under any final status agreement with Israel....
View ArticleNew Bahrain facility for UK maritime component in Gulf
The UK Royal Navy (RN) is to establish a more permanent headquarters (HQ) and forward support footprint within the US Navy's Naval Support Activity (NSA) in Bahrain. Work to build a new UK Maritime...
View ArticleLiberia to replace its Nigerian commander
A Liberian officer is set to assume command of the West African country's military for the first time since the end of the civil war in 2003, reflecting steady progress in rebuilding Liberia's military...
View ArticleJordan's Nash-Shab rocket launcher attracts export interest
The 105 mm Nash-Shab (RPG-32) rocket launcher is attracting interest from potential customers less than a year after the start of production, according to Shadi Majali, the CEO of the King Abdullah II...
View ArticleEgyptian intel says Igla used to down helicopter
A Russian 9K38 Igla (SA-18 'Grouse') man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) was used to shoot down a military helicopter in the north of the Sinai Peninsula on 25 January, Egyptian intelligence...
View ArticleDoD to complete development on UAV sense-and-avoid systems by FY 2017
Key Points The army has spent some USD100 million on GBSAA The USAF and USN have spent nearly USD250 million on ABSAA The US Department of Defense (DoD) expects to overcome one of the most significant...
View ArticleDefexpo 2014: Tata Motors unveils Kestrel 8x8 and LAMV 4x4
Tata Motors, a leading supplier of vehicles to the Indian armed forces, unveiled two new combat vehicles at Defexpo 2014. The first is the Kestrel, an 8x8 wheeled armoured amphibious vehicle designed...
View ArticleDefexpo 2014: MBDA offers MMP ATGW to Indian Army
MBDA has entered discussions with the Indian Army to offer its Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW), a company representative told IHS Jane's at Defexpo on 7 February. In 2010...
View ArticleDefexpo 2014: Indian Army poised to conduct assault rifle trials
The Indian Army is expected to begin long-delayed trials involving four competing multi-calibre 5.56 x 45 mm assault rifles in May in support of its requirement for 66,000 rifles, estimated to cost...
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