Britain has relaunched a £1.6 billion (U.S. $2.3 billion) competition to build three logistic ships to support the deployments of Royal Navy aircraft carriers and other surface ships. The issued a contract notice inviting companies to register an interest in bidding for the work to replace aging Fort-class logistics vessels.…

The US Army uploaded a 30-second video showing some uncommon strategies when using the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and Bradley fighting vehicle. The Twitter video features soldiers maneuvering the combat vehicles towards tall trees and dense surfaces to hide while attacking enemies. Their ability to camouflage makes them look…

Nigeria’s Air Force officially took delivery of three JF-17 fighter aircraft Friday during a ceremony at a base in Makudri amid celebrations marking the 57th anniversary of the service. The fighters were handed over by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, which constructed the aircraft and was responsible for their delivery. This marks the latest…

Norwegian aerospace company KONGSBERG has ordered additional Passive Radio Frequency Sensors (PRS) for its Joint Strike Missile (JSM) project, BAE Systems Australia announced on Friday. KONGSBERG tapped BAE Systems to acquire 180 additional PRS for its Joint Strike Missile (JSM) project. The order completes the first production order for 200 PRS to be delivered…

Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the Department of National Defence, has awarded a contract for the in-service support and maintenance of the 3 King Air 350ER aircraft to Team CERTAS, consisting of General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada, from Ottawa, Ontario, and Voyageur Aviation Corporation, from North Bay, Ontario.…

Back in the days of letters and stamps, a port visit for a Navy ship meant one thing above all others for the crew: mail from home. These days, port visits provide personnel an opportunity to get a phone signal and to check in with loved ones. However, at sea,…

Changing battlefield priorities was one of the reasons behind the British Army’s decision to ditch the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle update program in the recent defense, security and foreign policy review, according to British Army chief Gen. Sir Mark Carleton-Smith. Speaking to Defense News during a recent visit to Washington, Carleton-Smith,…

The 130th Airlift Wing out of McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston, West Virginia, has gotten the green light to convert to the C-130J-30 Super Hercules from the legacy C-130H models, acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth announced Wednesday. “We are exceptionally pleased to have gotten word…

Hungary is equipping 209 of its new Lynx infantry fighting vehicles with the StrikeShield hard-kill active protection system (APS), German defense company Rheinmetall announced. In a contract worth 140 million euro ($171 million), the 209 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) that Hungary ordered last year will be fitted with the StrikeShield APS, which…

A non-profit organization in the UK claims that a confidential Ministry of Defence document allows British troops to engage in illegal bombing without the approval of parliament. A copy of the supposed directive was released during a legal proceeding on Tuesday, according to The Guardian. “UK embedded pilots could potentially be engaged…

The US Air Force has struck up a partnership with Lockheed Martin Corporation to collaborate on a new production line for the F-16 Block 70/72 fighter at a Lockheed Martin facility in Greenville, South Carolina. The first batch of new F-16s is expected to become available for purchase in 2022, and production is…

Australia’s defense department announced on Wednesday that the country will be creating a new space division in a bid to protect its satellites from attack. The division will be established within the Royal Australian Air Force headquarters in Canberra and will have a budget of $7 billion over the next 10 years.…

The US has allowed Turkey to proceed with the sale of six T129 Tactical Reconnaissance and Attack Helicopters to the Philippines, according to Turkish Aerospace Industries official Serdar Demir, Middle East Eye reported. The T129 is a military helicopter designed for advanced attack and reconnaissance missions in hot and high environments. It is…

The US Army destroyed two of three targets employing its new classified loitering munitions or “suicide drones” during a test conducted at Edge 21. A network of manned and unmanned aircraft was first used to locate the targets and guide the drones to them. Two out of three drones, officially called Joint…

An F-15QA Eagle multirole fighter jet destined for Qatar declared an emergency upon landing and then left the runway at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Illinois Tuesday morning, an Air Force official told Air Force Times. Both U.S. Air Force active-duty pilots on board “ejected safely and sustained only minor…

 The science and technology arm of U.S. Special Operations Command is investing in edge computing, secure data sharing and other new technologies that it expects will shape the future of warfare against near-peer adversaries. Components across the Defense Department are trying to lock in emerging capabilities, such as artificial intelligence and new communications technology, that will…

The lightened version of the MPT-76 National Infantry Rifle, which continues to be developed with Turkish Armed Forces feedback, is now ready for use by security forces. February 07, 2021, President of Defense Industries İsmail DEMİR announced on his official social media account that the qualification of the lighter version…

Air Force has deployed approximately 50 aircraft and over 500 personnel to the Northern Territory for Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21. As one of Air Force’s largest domestic training exercises for 2021, Arnhem Thunder provides important force generation training, focusing on high-end collective training and involving multiple Force Element Groups (FEGs). Commander…

The United Kingdom has set a requirement that its Royal Air Force have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But according to Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, the service needs to work under the assumption that it has to hit that target a decade earlier — and accept that other budget…

Bren-Tronics, Inventus Power, Navitas Systems‘ government solutions group and Ultralife Corp. have secured spots on a potential nine-year, $1.25 billion contract for a lightweight wearable battery being developed under the U.S. Army’s Tactical Power Generation Program. The Department of Defense said Wednesday contractors will compete for orders under the firm-fixed-price contract for the conformal wearable battery and each…

 Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system has intercepted a drone belonging to the Hamas militant group, a first for the platform, according to the country’s defense forces. In total, Israel has intercepted six drones using multiple countermeasures since hostilities began between Israel and Hamas on May 10, the Israel Defense…

France, Germany, and Spain said Monday that they had reached agreement on the next phase of their plans to build a joint European fighter jet, capping months of negotiations over how to share the work and the intellectual property. Defense ministers of the three countries said they had reached a…

Dozens of Japanese, American and French troops landed amid pouring rain from a CH-47 transport helicopter onto a grassy field at a training area in southern Japan, part of Saturday’s joint scenario of defending a remote island from an enemy invasion. The three nations’ first joint drills on Japanese soil — dubbed…

Australia announced Wednesday it would upgrade military bases in its far north and expand joint drills with US forces after warnings about the “drums of war” beating in the Pacific region. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a plan worth more than half a billion US dollars to revamp four military training facilities…

Aircrew in the back of a Black Hawk helicopter performing an air assault mission typically have limited information on the status and layout of a landing zone. But a two-weeklong exercise in the Utah desert gave those aboard three UH-60L helos unprecedented intelligence as they raced to their objective. The…

Boeing will be late to deliver the two new Air Force One planes currently under construction, the U.S. Air Force’s top uniformed acquisition official said Thursday. Last month, Boeing reported a $318 million charge on the VC-25B program to turn two Boeing 747s into new presidential aircraft, which are given the call sign “Air…

The United Kingdom’s recent guiding plan for its military included both cuts to existing systems and investments in new technologies, with a special emphasis on increasing the U.K.’s capabilities in space. During an April visit to Washington, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, the head of the Royal Air Force, sat down with C4ISRNET…

German defense officials expect to sign up new European partners for the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System following a September conference in Berlin devoted to the effort, according to a government report to parliament. The close-hold document, dated March and obtained by Defense News, notes that the international event is…

Saab has selected NSW-based SME Global Defence Solutions (GDS) as its Australian industry partner to locally manufacture its Mobile Camouflage Systems (MCS) and multispectral camouflage screens. “Saab’s partnership with GDS will bring world-class capability into Australian industry with the transfer of our global camouflage technical knowledge and expertise,” Andy Keough,…

Chengdu J-10 jets powered by indigenous engines have entered operational service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, representing China’s confidence in the local technology to equip the single-engine, multirole aircraft. Images posted by China National Radio of a PLAAF live-firing exercise at an unspecified location show J-10C Vigorous Dragons…

Israel bombarded Gaza with artillery and air strikes on Friday following a new barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave, intensifying a conflict that has now claimed 127 lives. The Israeli army said its overnight operation involved fighter jets and tanks hitting a Hamas tunnel network dug under civilian…

Australian Army Special Operations Force soldiers from 2 Commando Regiment dropped in on the rural NSW community of Temora in late-March and again this month as part of short-notice training activities. More familiar with seeing historic aircraft displays from the nearby aviation museum, several local landowners gathered their families late…

A British firm has secured a $4.2 million contract from the US Army to supply a “next-generation” optical wireless communications system. The Kitefin LiFi system harnesses light spectrum technology to transmit data, an advance over conventional technologies that use radio frequencies (RF), according to developer PureLiFi. The technology enables data to travel through…

The US Army will begin testing a prototype laser weapon for close-range air defense this month. The 50-kilowatt high-energy laser will be attached to a Stryker A1 vehicle to locate, lock on, track, and destroy airborne threats. The process is said to take a matter of seconds. Army officials said…

Armenia’s leader on Thursday accused Azerbaijani troops of crossing the southern border and trying to stake claim to territory in a new escalation of tensions between the arch-foes. Last year Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh. The six-week conflict claimed some 6,000 lives and ended…

Competition, innovation, and cost-containment in the missile defense sector are vital to countering rapidly evolving missile threats from China, Russia, and other sources. History has taught us that excessive consolidation in any industry, especially defense, has increased taxpayers’ costs and high-level clumsiness in strategic thinking. That’s why Washington should prohibit Lockheed Martin’s proposed…

The US Army is seeking to develop inexpensive land-based and handheld systems to counter small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), according to a request for information (RFI). The army specified that the ground-launched system should not have “inflight terminal guidance” and should be able to defeat single or multiple sUAS. The request further…

The Royal Navy’s upgraded Spearfish torpedo was cleared for front-line action after passing deepwater trials in the Bahamas, the service revealed in a statement. Five of the Mod-1 Spearfish torpedoes were fired from HMS Audacious – the fourth of the Royal Navy’s Astute-class nuclear-powered submarines – during the three-day trials. The torpedoes…

The Taliban have seized a district from Afghan government forces on the outskirts of Kabul, ahead of a three-day ceasefire agreed between the warring sides, officials said. Nerkh district is around 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Afghan capital in neighboring Wardak province, which has long been used by militants…

The New Zealand Defence Force has issued a request for information on design and build solutions for an eventual ice-strengthened offshore patrol vessel that the Royal New Zealand Navy would operate in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic’s Ross Sea for at least four months per year. Independent defense consultant Gordon Crane told…

Britain has confirmed it will acquire 14 Boeing-made Chinook helicopters, but the government has prolonged the delivery schedule over the next decade years due to budget issues. The deal was made through the U.S. Defense Department’s Foreign Military Sales process and will see Britain pay £1.4 billion (U.S. $2 billion) for…

The US Army announced on Wednesday that it will discontinue the use of its Stryker Mobile Gun System next year due to obsolescence and systemic issues. Through a press release, a representative explained that divestiture of obsolete systems in the armed forces is as important as acquiring more modern equipment. Getting rid…

China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group – a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) – has announced the development of a facility dedicated to producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Sichuan province, Janes reported. The 10 billion Chinese yuan ($1.55 billion) facility in Zigong city will produce military and…

The US armed forces is acquiring 600 additional Centaur unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) worth more than $70 million from technology company FLIR Systems. The advanced ground robots will be used to disarm landmines and improvised explosive devices, as well as to perform similar dangerous tasks during military operations. Authorized army…

The US State Department has approved the sale of an Aegis Combat System to Canada in a deal valued at $1.7 billion, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency revealed in a statement. The proposed sale of the radar and missile system is expected to improve interoperability between the navies of the…

The first stage of integrating the MMP medium-range missile onto France’s new Jaguar armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle was successfully carried out last month when the weapon was fired from the retractable pod on the vehicle’s turret and hit a fixed target. The firing took place April 14 but was only just…

Israel’s army said Tuesday that it had hit 130 “military targets” in Gaza, killing 15 “Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives” in retaliatory strikes after Palestinian militant groups launched a flurry of rockets towards Israel. “We have struck 130 military targets belonging mostly to Hamas,” the Islamist group that controls the…

Portugal and Mozambique signed a new military cooperation accord on Monday to help the poor African nation confront a growing jihadist threat by beefing up training, notably of special forces. Portuguese Defence Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho said the five-year plan builds on previous agreements between Lisbon and its former colony while adding…

A US vessel fired warning shots at more than a dozen Iranian fast attack boats which buzzed close to a US Navy submarine and escort ships in the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the Pentagon said. In the second such incident in two weeks, 13 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy boats…

The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said Sunday it had seized a huge cache of illicit Russian and Chinese weapons from a stateless dhow sailing in international waters of the North Arabian Sea.The Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, said the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey intercepted the vessel and discovered…