Defence`s Feeds

THREE hostages of Indonesian nationality - kidnapped from their tugboat on 22 June - were released by Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants in the Philippines' Sulu province on 2 October, Philippines Daily Inquirer reported.

Brazilian privately run company CONSUB Defesa e Tecnologia is to modernise the Brazilian Navy's six Niterói-class frigates' SICONTA Mk2 (Sistema de Controle Tático e de Armas) tactical and weapon control system, the company told IHS Jane's. Under Project 'Phoenix', the current

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter suggested US forces are unlikely to drawdown their presence in Iraq if Mosul is recaptured, as any security gains may be fragile. "We have discussed that with the Iraqi government, and I only start there because it will, in the end, be a decision that we

EVENT Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane of Morocco on 22 October secured the support of the opposition Independence Party (izb Al-Istiqlal: Istiqlal) for his coalition government, which includes the Progress and Socialism Party (Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme: PPS) and Benkirane's

A top US Department of Defense (DoD) official wants the Pentagon to reform how it licenses commercial space capabilities in order to keep the US commercial space sector robust. Speaking during a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Deputy Assistant Secretary of

EVENT The Islamic State claimed the killing of a police sub-inspector in Charsadda district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on 24 October through its online Amaq News Agency. The policeman was shot dead by unidentified militants with a 9-mm pistol while waiting at a bus stop near his home, according to

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) began their first-ever joint fighter exercise on 23 October, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. Four RAF Eurofighter Typhoons, which had arrived a day earlier at the JSDAF's Misawa Air Base, are participating in the

TWENTY employees of a mine clearing organisation were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the Elyas Khan Qala area in Puli Alam city in Afghanistan's Logar province on 19 October, Afghan Islamic Press reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) launched on 25 October the third of four planned LST-II tank landing ships for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) at its Ulsan dockyard, the company said in a press release. The vessel, which has been named Ilchulbong , will join the fleet in

The Indian Army (IA) plans to temporarily induct locally developed Excalibur assault rifles into service until it shortlists a 7.62x39 mm rifle for import over the next few years, sources told IHS Jane's on 24 October. Officials said the IA recently asked the state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)

The Japanese government announced on 25 October that the deployment of Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan will be extended by five months. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the deployment, which was due to

To ensure they follow operational protocol, members of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) will be required to use helmet-mounted cameras when they deploy on missions, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported on 22 October. Japanese troops are expected to be despatched as United Nations

Lithuania has agreed to buy the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) from Norway, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced on 21 October. In total Lithuania is looking to purchase two batteries of the air-defence system for around EUR100 million (USD109

Americas

• In preparation for an imminent flight of the first production model of the Scorpion light attack plane, manufacturer Textron AirLand has accelerated research & development spending on the program. The move comes as the consortium, a self-funded effort between companies Textron and AirLand Enterprises, looks to demonstrate the jet’s capabilities as customer engagement increases. While the Scorpion had been floated as a potential candidate for the USAF’s T-X trainer competition, it remains to be formally offered due to the service’s changing requirements. They will instead focus on marketing the jet as a low-cost light attack and surveillance aircraft.

• Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls is thinking to diversify their portfolio by looking to purchase government services contractor Camber Corp. for $400 million. With larger contractors such as Lockheed Martin exiting or shrinking their services business, Huntington see an opportunity to invest in a potential growth engine. Company CEO Mike Peters alluded to such a move saying on the company’s August 4 earnings call that he wanted to “grow our services business in support of the Navy and the Department of Energy.”

• Following the butting of horns over who runs the show, Raytheon and Leonardo-Finmeccanica’s joint effort as part of the USAF T-X trainer competition is back on track. Both companies came together in February this year to offer the Italian firm’s T-100 jet trainer; however, Raytheon’s role as prime contractor has riled Leonardo since they designed and built the aircraft and had already sold the M-346, on which the T-100 is based, to Italy, Israel, Poland and Singapore. Other bones of contention include work share roles and assembly as well as the possibility by Raytheon to export the aircraft as an “American” plane to governments who prefer doing business through the US Foreign Military Sales program.

Middle East & North Africa

• A team of 40 UK military personnel will travel to Tunisia to provide training on Operational Planning, Intelligence and Surveillance and mobile patrolling. The Short Term Training Team is the third tranche of training delivered as part of the UK’s commitment to improving security in the region, following the previous installments in February, and before that in late 2015. Including both theoretical and practical exercises, the training will help Tunisian forces better defend their borders, especially with Libya, from threats by jihadist militants.

Europe

• Leonardo-Finmeccanica unveiled their Centauro II armored vehicle during an event at the Cecchignola Army range near Rome. Sporting a 120mm gun, the latest electro-optics and communication systems, the light tank was put through its paces in front of a crowd that included Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Danilo Errico and Leonardo CEO Mauro Moretti. At present, Italian lawmakers are debating approval for a $582 million order for a first tranche of 11 pre-series Centauro II tanks and 39 production vehicles, along with 10 years of logistics service. The Italian Army hopes to acquire 150 units to operate alongside the new Freccia armored troop carrier.

• A French light reconnaissance aircraft crashed in Malta on Monday killing all five passengers on board. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff where the crew had been taking part in a five month-long customs operation, tracking human trafficking and drug smuggling in the Mediterranean. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that three of the victims were ministry staff while the other two were contractors.

Asia Pacific

• For the first time since WW2, UK and Japanese fighters will duke it out in aerial combat drills at Japan’s northern Misawa Air Base. Four RAF Eurofighter Typhoons and a C-17 support plane touched down on Saturday and will face off against and fly with Japanese F-15s and domestically built Mitsubishi F-2s in an exercise dubbed Guardian North 16. The exercise is also being seen as an opportunity by Tokyo to see the Typhoon in action as it ponders the replacement of the F-2 and the choice of using a cheaper non-stealth superiority fighter based on an existing design or a much more expensive program to develop their own indigenous stealth fighter.

• Malaysia has announced a number of upgrades to both Navy frigates and their fleet of antiquated S-61 helicopters. Danish electronics firm Terma A/S will install their SCANTER 6000 radar systems on two Lekiu-class vessels as part of a mid-life modernization and service life extension program. The X-band 2D solid-state radar has been specifically designed as an affordable all-weather sensor solution to plug the gap between standard marine navigation radars and more expensive military surveillance radar systems. Meanwhile, Heli-One and Malaysian firm Airod will fit new displays, a new mission computer, and a new search radar on their 30 S-61 helicopters following the scaling back on orders of the Airbus Helicopters EC725s.

Today’s Video

RAF Eurofighters touch down in Japan:

The US Navy has commissioned its newest Freedom-class variant, the USS Detroit littoral combat ship (LCS 7), in Michigan.

The US Marine Corps' (USMC) CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter has successfully completed its initial operational testing at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center (DFC) in West Palm Beach, Florida, US.

The EU should tackle deteriorating security in and around Europe by helping its armed forces to work together better, as a first step in building a common defence policy, say Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in two resolutions voted on Monday. Ideas include establishing an EU operational headquarters to plan, command and manage crisis management operations, setting a defence spending target of 2% of GDP and launching Common Defence and Security Policy training operation in Iraq.
Subcommittee on Security and Defence
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and France's Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) have launched the next phase of their £117m joint maritime mine countermeasures (MMCM) programme.

DCNS and Airbus Helicopters have partnered to design a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the French Navy.