Jane's Defense News

Members of the House and Senate on 18 December voted largely in favour of a USD1.14 trillion 'omnibus' appropriations bill that includes USD572.7 billion in defence spending, and it is now expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama. The bill received wide bipartisan support in both

Australia has awarded Lockheed Martin an AUD1.2 billion (USD863 million) contract to provide pilot training to the armed forces. The contract, which was awarded to the Lockheed Martin-led Team 21 on 8 December, will run for an initial seven years from 2019 under the Department of Defence's (DoD's)

EVENT The National Electoral Council (Consejo Nacional Electoral: CNE) confirmed on 8 December that the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mesa de la Unidad Democrática: MUD) coalition has now secured at least 112 seats. This represents a two-thirds majority of the 167-seat National

Key Points The USAF space chief soon plans to award contracts for rocket propulsion system development Contract awards had been expected in September US Air Force (USAF) Space Command's Space and Missile Center (SMC) plans to award contracts for rocket propulsion system development soon,

Key Points France's Mirage 2000Ds are to be modernised In total 55 aircraft will go through the MLU, improving their radar, avionics, and weapons fit The French Air Force's Mirage 2000D multirole fighter aircraft have been approved to receive a mid-life update (MLU), a move long awaited by the

General Dynamics on 7 December protested the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) award of Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 contracts to teams led by BAE Systems and SAIC. "We believe the selection process was not consistent with the criteria outlined in the RfP [request for proposals]," a

The first of 15 Airbus Helicopters H145M (formerly EC145/645 T2) platforms were delivered to the German special forces at the company's Donauworth facility near Munich on 8 December. The first two twin-engine light utility helicopters were handed over to the Bundeswehr for use by the Kommando

France's GIAT Industries announced on 8 December that its board structure would change ahead of the merger between land systems subsidiary Nexter Systems and Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). GIAT Industries - the parent company of France's Nexter Group - is to hold 50% of the new joint

The Indian government has issued 81 defence industrial licences to 61 local companies since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his 'Make in India' drive in September 2014, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 8 December. This total represents more than a quarter of the 307 licences awarded to

Key Points JTIC recorded 1,700 attacks by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) worldwide in October 2015, an 8.5% increase in the average daily total compared with September. In Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, there was an almost four-fold increase in the average daily number of attacks by NSAGs and

A new approach is necessary to counter the unprecedented success of the Islamic State, and to contain Syria's emergence as the pre-eminent global incubator for a new generation of jihadists, Richard Barrett, the former Director of Global Counter Terrorism Operations at the United Kingdom's Secret

Russian Helicopters has reached an agreement with Egypt for modernising a facility to undertake advanced maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of the Egyptian Air Force's Mil Mi-8T and Mil Mi-17-1V 'Hip' helicopters. Under the agreement, the Helwan Factory for Developed Industries - part of the

Russia launched its first-ever submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) strikes on 8 December, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced. Described as Kalibr missiles (3M-14) by the Russian MoD, the missiles were fired from the Mediterranean into Syria by the Project 636.3 improved

Key Points Second control test vehicle flight success paves way for SM-3 Block IIA intercept test in 2016 Raytheon Missile Systems has been contracted to build a further 17 SM-3 Block IIA all-up-rounds The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Japan Ministry of Defense Acquisition, Technology

The South African Navy (SAN) has redesignated Naval Station Durban as a naval base and begun initial work on refurbishing its facilities, it was announced on 8 December. Once all the work has been completed, Durban will serve as the home base for the three Warrior-class patrol boats that remain in

The South African Army is expanding its training effort in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under the designation Mission Thebe, the deputy commander of the army told IHS Jane's on 9 December. The army has been training the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) since 2006, initially providing basic and

Key Points The Royal Swedish Navy is set to receive 42 Tactical Mission Trainers in 2016, as part of the Naval Warfare Training System being delivered by CAE The system will enable instructors to train sailors on a range of mission scenarios The Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN) is set to receive 42

Key Points Tata Motors to draw on group capabilities in bidding for India's Future Infantry Combat Vehicle programme Company aims to position its 8x8 Kestrel as front-runner for the multibillion dollar deal India's Tata Group is planning a cross-corporation strategy to support its bid to meet the

Turkey received the last of four Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft at the type's main operating station of Konya Air Base on 9 December. The handover of the aircraft, dubbed Peace Eagle in Turkish service, concludes a delivery process which began last year. The

The United Nations (UN) has ruled that a shipment of 16 armoured vehicles destined for Libya that were seized by Greece were being legally transferred. Greece announced in July that it had seized the vehicles (eight Streit Group Typhoon 4x4 mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, five