Defence`s Feeds

AT LEAST five people were killed and 10 others - including soldiers - wounded when an unspecified explosive device detonated at a market for the narcotic leaf khat in the town of Wanlaweyn in Shabeellaha Hoose region on 9 May, Reuters reported. Police stated that they were investigating whether the

Lürssen Australia, the prime contractor for the project to build 12 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), has confirmed that Austal will not be participating in the AUD4 billion (USD3 billion) programme. In a statement on 11 May, Lürssen Australia said it has

A new headquarters and operations centre have been opened for the Australian Army’s Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) at Campbell Barracks in Perth. Minister for Defence Marise Payne said in an 11 May statement that the opening of the new facilities marked the completion of the first phase

Bell expects its anticipated UH-1Y Venom utility and assault helicopter sale to the Czech Republic to proceed now that the country’s presidential elections have been concluded. With the sale of 12 helicopters to the Eastern European nation having already been approved by the US government, a

THE boundary wall of a middle school for girls was damaged when an improvised explosive device (IED), emplaced by militants identified as Ittehadul Mujahideen North Waziristan, detonated in the Hasokhel area of Mirali in North Waziristan in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on 9

IHI Corporation, which builds engines and related systems for the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), has posted overall increases in sales and profits but a decline in earnings from the defence sector. The Tokyo-based corporation said on 10 May that group sales for fiscal year (FY) 2017, which ended

Key Points The IDF said it hit dozens of Iranian targets and Syrian air defences on 9–10 May. It undermined Syrian claims that some missiles were shot down by releasing a video showing a Pantsyr-S1 being destroyed The confrontation between Israel and Iranian forces in Syria escalated into

In Deir al-Zour governorate, Liwa al-Baqir via a statement on social media announced they would launch 'Islamist' operations against United States-led coalition Forces, announcing they had recruited 'fearless' 'holy warriors' and commando units. They called on civilians to stay clear of US military

Key Points The new construction plan includes a domestic common-hull design to replace aging mission-specific sealift and auxiliary ships The navy's 30-year shipbuilding plan envisages funding for the first CHAMP ship in FY 2028 Plans are taking shape in the US Navy (USN) for the procurement of a

Key Points On 10 May, Malaysia concluded its 14th general election, in which the ruling National Front (Barisan Nasional: BN) was voted out of power for the first time in 61 years since independence, enabling the Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad-led Hope’s Pact (Pakatan Harapan: PH) opposition

China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has once again sent several aircraft on what it referred to as a “patrol and combat exercise” over two strategic waterways near Taiwan. A PLAAF spokesperson said in a statement that the aircraft formation – which

The Portuguese Navy is planning to put in service the fifth Standard Flex 300 (StanFlex 300) coastal patrol boat it acquired from the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO). The navy is currently taking steps to obtain funding to modernise the ship with communications,

Russia has completed delivery of the first regimental set of the Almaz-Antei S-400 Triumf self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to China, according to a 10 May report by the TASS news agency. Following the announcement in early April of the arrival in China of two vessels carrying

THREE people were killed and eight others wounded during an attack on a police station by five Taliban militants in the Shahr-e-Naw area in Police District 10 in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on 9 May, Pajhwok reported. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the station's entrance to allow four

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)“simply does not have enough money to buy all the equipment it says it needs”, a report by the parliamentary public accounts committee (PAC) has found. The 9 May report, which was released on 11 May, says the MoD’s Equipment Plan 2017–2027

THE Said Afandi Chirkeyskiy Sufi shrine in the village of Chirkey in Buynaksk district in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan was targeted in an attack using explosives on 9 May, BBC Monitoring and TASS reported. No casualties were reported. The Islamic State's Wilayat al-Qawqaz claimed

FOUR people - including two police officers - were killed and nine others wounded when two Wilayat Khorasan suicide attackers launched an attack on the in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Police District 13 in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on 9 May, Pajhwok and Tolo News reported. The Islamic State claimed

Key Points Malaysia’s newly elected prime minister may reconsider allowing the presence of Chinese vessels in the country Move could herald a wider shift in defence relations between Putrajaya and Beijing, both of whom are claimants to the South China Sea disputes Hours after securing an

A detachment of the Russian Naval Aviation Sukhoi Su-30SM ‘Flanker-H’ combat aircraft has deployed to the Khmeimim Air Base in Syria in the first overseas mission for the service’s newest air supremacy fighter. Two of the jets were first photographed during a media visit to the

Americas

• The Rotary and Mission Systems branch of Lockheed Martin is being tapped to provide services in support of the DDG-51 New Construction Ship program. The contract is valued at over $11 million and sees for the production of common Machinery Control Systems (MCS). The MCS provides control and monitoring capability of the ship’s auxiliary, damage control, electrical, and propulsion systems. As part of its electrical capability, MCS interfaces with the ship’s power generation and electrical distribution system. The US Navy’s DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers are the backbone of America’s present and future fleet. With the DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class order ended at 3 ships, the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class ships will become more important to the future Navy. The award brings the total cumulative face value to $194.3 million. Work will be mainly performed in Baltimore, Maryland and expected to be completed by May 2019.

• The Air Force is currently conducting flight tests at its Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The second phase of its light attack experiment take a closer look at Textron’s AT-6 and the A-29 Super Tucano manufactured by Sierra Nevada Corp. and Embraer. The flight tests will be conducted over the next three months and will take a closer look at associated logistics and some of the aircraft’s weapons integration capability, such as integrating precision guided weaponry. The pilots also hope to get a better understanding of how the Air Force can operate light attack aircraft in austere and high-paced combat environments. Officials hope that the acquisition of light attack aircraft will provide a cheaper alternative to more advanced fighter jets often tasked with low-end counterterrorism missions. Future steps are taken for establishing a common network architecture that will connect the aircraft to other US assets and with a wide array of US partners.

• The Naval Air Systems Command has awarded a $19.3 million contract modification to IAP Worldwide Services. The additional funding provides for spare parts, and spare inventory support of the E-6B Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) aircraft program. The US’s E-6B TACAMO, “survivable airborne communication system” airplanes support the Navy’s SSBN ballistic missile submarine force and overall strategic forces. With the advent of the new “Tactical Trident” their unique capabilities become even more useful. The E-6B version also has a secondary role as a “Looking Glass” Airborne National Command Post, and in recent years they have seen use as communications relay stations over the front lines of combat. The US Navy has a total fleet of 16 E-6B aircraft deployed from Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. Work will be performed at Air Force Bases in Oklahoma, Nebraska, California and Maryland, it is expected to be completed by November 2020.

Middle East & Africa

• Jane’s reports that the Royal Jordanian Air Force has shown its CH-4B armed UAV for the first time. The CH-4B is manufactured by China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The drone belongs to the family of ‘Cai Hong’ designated aircraft. The magazine Foreign Policy has called the drone, the “Kalashnikovs of the drone world”. Their cheap price and the US’s reluctance to sell armed UAV’s to their regional allies has made vehicles very popular with countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. They are currently deployed to operations in Yemen and in the fight against ISIS in Iraq. The CH-4B broadly resembles General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and can carry a variety of arms, including AR-1 and AR-2 missiles (the Chinese equivalent to the US AGM-114 Hellfire), as well as a range of small precision-guided bombs.

Europe

• The French government will buy a fifth Barracuda class nuclear attack submarine. A spokesperson for the Armed Forces Ministry confirmed in a statement that the Defense Minister Florence Parly made the decision on May 2nd. The draft multiyear budget that is set to run from 2019-2025 includes the funding for six Barracuda class submarines, delivery of which is scheduled for 2025. The Barracuda SSN program started in 2006 when France’s Defense Ministry awarded a contract for nuclear-propelled fast attack submarines to state-owned warship builder DCN and nuclear energy group Areva-TA. The Barracuda program will meet the French Navy’s operational mission needs by providing replacements for its 6 current Rubis Amethyste class nuclear attack submarines. The Barracuda’s are roughly the same size as the Royal Navy’s existing SSN Trafalgar Class boats, and twice the size of the current vessels. The program’s total value was initially set at then $11.13 billion but has since risen to over $12.32 billion.

• Reports suggest that Switzerland could achieve a breakthrough in the field of passive radar. The still-dormant radar technique has the potential to track stealthy aircraft. The research is part of the Swiss multibillion-dollar “Air 2030” program that seeks to upgrade the countries air defense system. Passive radar technology promises the advantage that it cannot be detected, meaning pilots entering a monitored area may be unaware they are being tracked. That could even be the case for pilots flying stealthy aircraft like the F-35. Swiss experiments with the technology go back to 2010, with field-tested demos held in 2015 and 2016. Many defense companies are believed to have passive radar developments in the works. Leonardo currently markets the AULOS Passive Covert Radar, and the German defense company Hensoldt recently unveiled its TwInvis system.

Asia-Pacific

• Turkmenistan recently unveiled its Alenia’s M-346 Master advanced jet trainer and C-27J Spartan tactical airlifter. Alenia’s Aermacchi’s M-346 advanced jet trainer began life in 1993, as a collaboration with Russia. It was also something of a breakthrough for Alenia Aermacchi, confirming that the Finmeccanica subsidiary could design and manufacture advanced aircraft with full authority quadriplex fly-by-wire controls. The C-27J, also named “Baby Herc” due to its profile, engine, and avionics commonality with the C-130J Hercules, is produced in a partnership between Alenia, L-3 Communications and Boeing. Turkmenistan currently has a broad inventory of Soviet-era aircraft, but also boosts some Italian products such as the Selex Falco UAV and the Augusta AW-109 helicopter.

Today’s Video

• US Navy orders more than 7.000 APKWS produced by BAE.