SpaceX sues USAF over EELV contracting procedures
Key Points SpaceX says it can provide military launches more affordably than incumbent ULA The company again criticised ULA's reliance on Russian-built rocket motors SpaceX is challenging the US Air...
View ArticleMaiden flight for MC-27J gunship
The first fully configured Alenia Aermacchi MC-27J Spartan gunship has made its maiden flight from the company's Turin Test Flight Centre, it was announced on 25 April. The aircraft was flown with a...
View ArticleIranian army to get longer-range 'missiles'
Iran is in the process of developing new surface-to-surface weapon systems, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (IRIA) Ground Force, announced on...
View ArticleIndia successfully test-fires PDV missile interceptor
India successfully conducted a high-altitude test of a new interceptor missile capable of neutralising incoming long-range missiles on 27 April. The Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) is a two-stage solid...
View ArticleChina inaugurates border and coastal defence research centre
The Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) Academy of Military Sciences inaugurated on 24 April a border and coastal defence research centre conceived to enhance territorial defence capabilities. A...
View ArticleBritish Lynx helicopter crashes in Afghanistan
A British Army AgustaWestland Lynx AH.9A utility helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on 26 April, with the loss of all five on aboard, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed. The Army...
View ArticleBrazilian Navy signs Exocet missile contract
The Brazilian Navy has signed a BRL60 million (USD27 million) contract with Brazilian Aerospace Avibras to develop a new version of the Exocet AM39 B2 air-to-surface missile produced by European...
View ArticleUS Congress to consider As-Pac pivot bill
Key Points Lawmakers seek to weigh in on US defence posture in the Pacific, gain more information on the region, and express support for the rebalance The measures would also create an unmanned systems...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia displays ballistic missiles for the first time
The first ever photographs and video footage of Saudi Arabia's Dong Feng-3 (DF-3) ballistic missiles were published on the arabic-military internet forum and YouTube on 28 April. The imagery comes from...
View ArticleRomania ups defence spending following Ukraine crisis
Romania's defence budget will rise by 0.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced on 28 April. The government will add about RON700 million (EUR150 million) to...
View ArticlePLAN constructs new ocean surveillance vessel with reduced acoustic signature
China is building a catamaran-type twin hull vessel for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) at the state-owned Guangzhou Huangpu shipyard, according to images that appeared on Chinese micro...
View ArticlePentagon may bolster routine exercises in Baltics
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is exploring ways to beef up its routine military training exercises in Eastern Europe as a means of signalling dissatisfaction with Russia's destabilising activities...
View ArticleNew Zealand to inject NZD100 million into defence budget
The New Zealand government has pledged to inject more than NZD100 million (USD86 million) of new funding into the 2014 defence budget, which will be announced in mid-May. Defence Minister Jonathan...
View ArticleHonduras looks to modernise air force
Details of the Honduran Air Force's (FAH's) modernisation plans surfaced in late April following an announcement earlier that month by Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez that he intends to...
View ArticleHIT reveals new information on Al Khalid-I MBT
Officials from Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) disclosed new information about the greatly anticipated Al Khalid-Improved (I) main battle tank (MBT) during the recent DSA 2014 exhibition held...
View ArticleEU and US place further sanctions over Ukraine crisis
The 28 nations of the European Union (EU) on 29 April placed sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against a further 15 Russian and Ukrainian individuals in response to the ongoing crisis...
View ArticleLockheed Martin wins sensor contract for Indonesian Apaches
Lockheed Martin has secured an USD80 million contract to supply fire-control sensors to be fitted to Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters ordered by Indonesia in 2013. A US Department of Defense...
View ArticleUK awards final Tornado support contract
The United Kingdom Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Panavia Tornado GR.4 strike aircraft fleet will receive continued support until their retirement from service under a new contract with BAE Systems,...
View ArticleTurkey marks finalisation of Meltem II MPA project
Turkey has marked the finalisation of its Meltem II maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) programme for the Turkish Navy in a ceremony on 28 April. The ceremony marked the delivery of five Meltem II MPAs to...
View ArticleTaiwan holds biggest Spratly islands drill in 15 years
The Republic of China Marine Corps (RoCMC) conducted an amphibious landing drill on the South China Sea island of Taiping (Itu Aba) on 10 April, a Taiwanese lawmaker revealed on 28 April. The drill was...
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