Jane's Defense News

The US Navy (USN) says its Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine replacement fleet for the Ohio-class ships is on track to meet schedule, cost, and technological estimates or requirements despite a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that questions the status of all three.

Key Points With a KRG-Baghdad agreement unlikely until after Iraq’s May 2018 elections, violent protests in Iraqi Kurdistan are likely to intensify in the six-month outlook. The concentration of protests in Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)-administered areas increases the likelihood of the

Key Points The result is likely to revive the Catalan “process”, its campaign to achieve independence, on the basis of pro-independence groups having retained a majority in a very high (81.94%) turnout. With several pro-independence officials either jailed or abroad, the government

Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) militants from South Sub Zonal Bureau spread propaganda pamphlets in Bijapur city in Bijapur district in India's Chhattisgarh state on 11 December, Dainik Bhaskar reported. The pamphlets called for a general strike in the district on the following day.

COMMUNIST Party of India - Maoist (CPI-M) militants from the Kalimela Zonal Committee spread hand-written propaganda posters and banners in the Badigeta and Tekguda areas in Malkangiri district in India's Odisha state on 8 December, Pragativadi News reported. The posters urged people to join CPI-M

Italian state-owned naval shipbuilder Fincantieri announced that it has established a subsidiary in Qatar on 21 December. Fincantieri Services Middle East, a management and logistics company based in Doha, will provide services to support the seven surface vessels ordered by the Qatar Emiri Naval

Italian state-owned naval shipbuilder Fincantieri announced that it has established a subsidiary in Qatar on 21 December. Fincantieri Services Middle East, a management and logistics company based in Doha, will provide services to support the seven surface vessels ordered by the Qatar Emiri Naval

TWO civilians were killed and four others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED), emplaced by unidentified militants, detonated near a school gate in Abul Khanazeer village in Iraq's Diyala province on 20 December, Iraqi News reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the

Key Points The Japanese and Canadian navies have completed a rare bilateral ASW exercise Activity improves interoperability between the two services, and further strengthens Canadian presence in the Asia-Pacific region The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) has completed a series of

Congress passed another extension of a stop-gap Continuing Resolution (CR) budget on 21 December to keep the federal government funded through 19 January, but included a big addition for missile defence activities. US President Donald Trump on 22 December was expected to enact a third CR budget to

Event On 19 December 2017, Democratic Party of Moldova (Partidul Democrat din Moldova, PDM) leader Vlad Plahotniuc announced a cabinet reshuffle “to improve the efficiency” of the cabinet. He proposed to change seven out of 13 ministers. Prime Minister Pavel Filip was to retain his

Swedish defence company Saab announced three acquisitions on 21 and 22 December with capabilities gained in naval construction and advanced composite materials. The first two transactions saw Saab conclude an agreement, effective on 29 December, to acquire Swedish combat boat manufacturer N. Sundin

HMS Queen Elizabeth has sprung a leak due to a problem with a shaft seal, which is letting in water, UK media reported on 19 December. Jane’s understands the leak is not serious enough to prevent the carrier from putting to sea or conducting trials scheduled for 2018. There appears not to be a

As part of a wide-ranging modernisation programme the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) commissioned 10 new aircraft on 15 December. Comprising both turbo-fan and turbo-prop transport aircraft as well as advanced jet-trainer/ground attack platforms, the latest acquisitions reflect the growing role played by

Thales and AMOG Technologies have teamed to carry out a study into the development of stealth technology for submarine periscopes and optronic masts, the Australian government announced on 20 December. Christopher Pyne, minister of defence industry, claimed that the teaming is another example of

Event On 13 December 2017, Ukraine’s Infrastructure and Transport Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said that UkrZaliznytsia (UZ), Ukraine’s state-owned railway company, “was considering” a total ban on all railway transportation with Russia, to be introduced at some point in 2018.

After completing the first full-scale testing of a rocket engine component under the Hydrocarbon Boost (HCB) programme, researchers at the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are one step closer to addressing the country's reliance on Russian rockets for its space programmes. Additionally, AFRL

Serbia is interested in using specialised military overhaul facilities in Republika Srpska (RS), one of the two constitutional and legal entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on a permanent basis, the Serbian defence minister has said. Serbia is implementing a policy to develop RS enterprises and its

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Ministry of Science and ICT (information and communications technology) have signed an agreement to collaborate on next-generation military technologies. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) calls for the two ministries to identify and

Airbus and Williams Advanced Engineering have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore ways in which they can collaborate on high-altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) and Formula 1 technologies. Airbus’ Zephyr HAPS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is one of the focuses of the work,