Defence`s Feeds

Crew That Saved Burning Bomber Over Texas In May Finally Named, Awarded. After weeks of speculation about the circumstances surrounding a May 1, 2018 emergency landing in Texas by a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer heavy bomber from the 7th Bomb Wing, Air Force officials have identified the crew who are being hailed as heroes […]

More than 65 years after it was filmed, Jet Pilot movie features some of the most spectacular aerial photography in film history. Jet Pilot is a 1957 film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh. Written and produced by Jules Furthman and presented by Howard Hughes, the movie was filmed […]

Americas

• The Navy is contracting Flour Marine Propulsion LLC for work on nuclear propulsion. The cost-plus-fixed fee contract is valued at $1,2 billion and provides for work at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory. The Naval Nuclear Laboratory falls under the Department of Energy and provides advanced nuclear propulsion work and technical support to the Navy. They specifically work on the Navy’s aircraft carrier and submarine nuclear fleet. The USA has had an all-nuclear submarine fleet for over 50 years, a policy that dates back to the visionary Admiral Hyman Rickover. On the surface, America’s aircraft carriers became an all-nuclear fleet with the retirement of the USS Kitty Hawk. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative estimated value of this contract to $13 billion. Work will be performed in Pennsylvania, New York and Idaho.

• GE Aviation Systems LLC is being tapped to support the US’s fleet of tanker aircraft. The awarded firm-fixed-price modification has a value of $18 million and provided for additional spare parts on the KC-130J propeller system. The KC-130J is a version of the classic C-130 Hercules. The KC-130J is a multi-role, medium-sized fixed-wing aerial refueling aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin primarily for the US Marine Corps. The US Navy and the USMC currently operate a fleet of 47 KC-130J Hercules aircraft. The plane is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines. Each engine, driving an all-composite six-blade R391 propeller, develops a power of 3,425kW. Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia and is expected to be completed in May 2022.

Middle East & Africa

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to receive support for its Vision 2030 plans as part of a US foreign military sale. Kratos Technology & Training Solutions is being awarded a $53 million contract modification under the International Program the company will provide program planning, logistics and a variety of technical services and instructional services in support of Saudi Arabia. These services support all levels of Royal Saudi Naval Forces’ Vision 2030 goals. Saudi Arabia is almost completely reliant on outside military purchases. One of the 2030 plan’s pillars is developing a domestic military production capacity so that it is less dependent on the US and foreign military purchases. Work will be performed at various locations in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Jubail, Jeddah, Dammam, and Ras al Ghar.

• Jane’s reports that the Air Force of Mali is adding four light attack aircraft to its fleet. The African nation has purchased four Embraer EMB 314/A-29 Super Tucanos. The country had ordered a total of six aircraft in 2015, however after a series of financial issues the order was reduced to four. According to the company the Super Tucano is designed to carry a fighter’s typical array of weapons, either smart or conventional. Its armament line-up is fully integrated with its avionics system and comprises most advanced ordnance and sensors. The Super Tucanos delivered to Mali are armed with 12.7 mm machine guns and can carry 70 mm rocket pods and 300 lb. bombs. The government also indicated that it also acquired 20 mm cannon pods for the aircraft. With this delivery, Mali joins Angola, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania as African operators of the Super Tucano.

Europe

• The United Kingdom is looking to boost its inventory of Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs). The US State Department is determined to approve the possible foreign military sale valued at $650 million. The UK wants to buy up to 200 AIM-120D missiles. The AIM-120D features C7 improvements and adds a number of strong upgrades to the missile. The new hardware and software is rumored to offer improved jamming resistance, better operation in conjunction with modern AESA radars, and an improved high-angle off-boresight “seeker cone,” in order to give the missile a larger no-escape zone. Less-publicized improvements reportedly include a dual-pulse rocket motor, for up to 50% more range and better near-target maneuvering. The UK will be the first export customer of the AIM-120D. The deal also includes missile containers, weapon system support, training and warranties. The principal contractor will be Raytheon Missile Systems Company.

• Italy’s Guardia di Finanza is increasing its maritime patrol mission capabilities. The militarized police force will purchase an ATR 72-600 that will be outfitted by Leonardo. Valued at $51.2 million the contract includes the plane, training and logistics support. If a number of unspecified options are exercised the total value of the contract could reach $250 million. According to Flightglobal, the twin-engine turboprop will be capable of performing a number of roles, including maritime patrol, search and rescue, anti-piracy and anti-drug smuggling operations, and surveillance of territorial waters. The plane is expected to be delivered sometime in 2019.

Asia-Pacific

• The Indonesian Navy is establishing a new squadron primarily tasked with UAV maritime surveillance missions. The Skadron Udara 700 will be based in Juanda Surabaya and will operate the ScanEagle UAS. Indonesia is currently anticipating the delivery of four Insitu ScanEagle UAVs and associated equipment, from the US government. The UAVs are being provided under a grant by the US government under a capacity-building program for Southeast Asian navies known as the Maritime Security Initiative (MSI). The ScanEagle is solidly based on Insitu’s original “Insight” platform, with different variants distinguished by their payloads and accompanying equipment rather than their aerodynamic design. The UAVs are launched by catapult, and autonomously recovered using a folding “skyhook” and catch-line. The Indonesian MSI package seeks to specifically improve the country’s maritime patrol capabilities, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance integration, and equipment maintenance capacity.

Today’s Video

• EA-6B Prowler flies

In view of the upcoming review of the EU Common Position 944/2008/CFSP on arms exports, the aim of the workshop was to provide an overview of the context in which this process will take place together with a set of possible outcomes the review could produce. The speakers from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), first defined the context by describing how, since the EU Common Position was adopted in 2008, EU member states performed in terms of military expenditure, arms production and arms transfers. Recent measures adopted at the EU level to boost defence industrial cooperation were also indicated as part of this framework. The speakers also highlighted the divergences in member states’ export policies which emerged in the last decade, most recently during the conflict in Yemen. They then provided a number of options that could be taken into consideration during the 2018 review, covering both adjustments to the language of the criteria and the user’s guide and measures to improve the implementation of the EU Common Position, the quality of reporting and to increase coherence and coordination of the EU export control regime.
Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

UNAMA has released its mid-year assessment of the harm done to civilians in the Afghan conflict. It found that more civilians were killed in the first six months of 2018 than in any year since 2009 when UNAMA started systematic monitoring. This was despite the Eid ul-Fitr ceasefire, which all parties to the conflict apart from ISKP, the local ‘franchise’ of Daesh, honoured. Particularly worrying trends, says AAN co-director Kate Clark, were Nangrahar province becoming almost as bloody as Kabul and an increased targeting of schools.

Every day in the first six months of 2018, an average of nine civilians, including two children, were killed in the conflict in Afghanistan. An average of 19 civilians, including five children, were injured every day.

UNAMA in its mid-year report for 2018  found that these civilians were killed and injured in ground engagements (29 per cent of the total), suicide and complex attacks (28 per cent), by IEDs (17 per cent), in targeted and deliberate killings (9 per cent), in air attacks (7 per cent) and by leftover unexploded munitions (5 per cent). (1)

They were most likely to have been killed or injured by insurgents (67 per cent of the total), although a fifth (20 per cent) were killed and injured by pro-government forces and ten per cent in fighting between the two. (2)

UNAMA attributed 42 per cent of total civilian casualties to the Taleban, 18 per cent to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), 17 per cent to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), two per cent to the international military and one per cent to pro-government armed groups. The remainder were not attributable to any single party.

Civilians in the provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, Faryab, Helmand and Kandahar were the most likely to be killed or injured in the war.

In total, for the first six months of 2018, there were 5,122 civilian casualties, 1,692 deaths and 3,430 injured.

These figures, painstakingly put together by UNAMA, (3) show that bloodshed so far in 2018 has remained at the same high level as in each of the last four years. Since 2014, the first half of each year has seen around 5000 civilian casualties, of which around 1600 were deaths. (4) There have been only slight fluctuations between the years. In 2018, slightly more civilians were killed than last year (a one per cent increase), while slightly fewer were injured (six per cent), resulting in an overall decrease in casualties of three per cent.

This high level of civilian casualties persisted in 2018 despite the Eid ceasefire when, for three days (15-17 June), the government, Taleban and US military pledged to conduct no offensive operations against each other (see AAN’s analysis of the ceasefire and our collection of Afghans’ thoughts and feelings about it.) There is always a lull in violence over the Eid holidays in Afghanistan, but this year there were, unprecedentedly, almost no incidents.

The two exceptions – and they were brutal ­– were in Nangrahar province, where the ISKP is relatively strong. It did not join the ceasefire and nor were its forces protected by the other parties’ truce. On the second day of Eid, an ISKP suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd of Taleban, Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and civilians in Rodat district. The following day, a bomb planted near the governor’s office killed and wounded people waiting for the end of a meeting between officials and visiting Taleban. UNAMA described how these two attacks, which killed 48 civilians and injured 133 others, “crushed the peaceful atmosphere in Nangarhar,” marring what had otherwise been a calm holiday:

The break in fighting led to unprecedented improvements in freedom of movement for ordinary Afghans, some of whom visited family homes in Taliban controlled areas that they had been prevented from reaching for years. It also spared the lives of countless Afghan civilians, who continue to suffer at extreme levels from the armed conflict… Apart from [the ISKP attacks in Nangrahar], UNAMA documented almost no other civilian casualties during the break in fighting. The brief ceasefire offered a glimmer of hope to the civilian population at a time when many may have been unable to imagine respite ahead.

The ‘exceptional’ behaviour of ISKP during Eid underlined what a dangerous foe it is and how, even if other parties to the conflict manage to negotiate an end to the violence, it would likely position itself outside any agreement as a dissident group continuing to fight.

The Eid truce was honoured by Taleban, government and US forces and the government unilaterally began its ceasefire earlier and extended it (18 days in total, 12-29 June). Yet, this was not enough to pull overall figures down for January to June 2018.

Trends in the war: How civilians were killed and injured

The number of civilian casualties caused by suicide and complex attacks increased markedly in the first half of 2017, by 23 per cent, with the number killed increasing by 65 per cent. (5) Bearing in mind that the 2017 casualty figures for this type of attack were already 17 per cent higher in 2016, the upward trend is very clear. ISKP was responsible for half of the deaths and injuries caused by this tactic between January and June this year.

The two places suffering the most from what are usually mass casualty events are Kabul and Nangrahar. In Nangrahar, nearly two thirds of all civilian casualties were caused by IEDs, mainly suicide and complex attacks. (6) Almost half were claimed by ISKP. It was because of this tactic that the overall number of civilian casualties in Nangrahar doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2017. They are now almost at the levels recorded in Kabul.

Casualties caused by ground engagements fell by 18 per cent in the first half of this year, said UNAMA. Civilian casualties attributed to both sides fell, by anti-government elements, mainly the Taleban, by 23 per cent, and by pro-government forces, mainly the ANSF, by 21 per cent. UNAMA acknowledged that actions taken by the government have reduced the civilian casualties resulting from its operations, particularly during ground fighting. (7) Deaths and injuries from pressure plate IEDs, which are used by insurgents, mainly the Taleban, also fell, by 43 per cent. The pressure-plate IEDs is considered illegal under the Geneva Conventions because it is an inherently indiscriminate weapon, killing whoever steps on it, whether combatant or civilian. “UNAMA,” the report says, “has engaged in extensive advocacy efforts with parties to the conflict on civilian casualties caused by pressure-plate IEDs and ground engagements over the past several years.”

There was also, said UNAMA a “significant decrease from targeted and deliberate killings,” during the first half of 2018 compared with the same period in 2017.

The trend towards more civilians being killed and injured in air strikes continued in 2018, with a 52 per cent increase in January to June this year compared to the first half of 2017 (353 civilian casualties; 149 deaths and 204 injured). That was itself a 43 per cent increase on the 2016 numbers. UNAMA’s ability to attribute civilian casualties caused by air strikes has improved markedly. UNAMA attributed 52 per cent to the Afghan Air Force and 45 per cent to international military forces, with only three per cent unattributed to either. The unattributed figure in 2017 was 33 per cent. Hopefully, this greater accuracy will help with its advocacy work on mitigating casualties.

Trends in targeting

Insurgents have been targeting election officials and sites since voter registration began on 14 April. There have been 341 civilian casualties (117 deaths and 224 injured). Most of these (250) came from two attacks in Kabul (22 April) and Khost (6 May).

UNAMA has recorded attacks on centres distributing tazkiras (IDs) and registering voters, attacks on election workers and police guards and through insurgents’ use of IEDs, suicide attacks and targeted killings. UNAMA has documented threats, abductions and killings of candidates and supporters. This election-related violence has also hurt children’s education because voter registration is often carried out in schools and these have then become the focus of attack. UNAMA recorded 39 attacks on schools used as voter registration centres. The result has been children killed and injured, schools closed and attendance reduced.

UNAMA also noted an “emerging trend” of insurgents attacking and threatening schools as a response to operations by pro-government forces. In Nangrahar, ISKP targeted education facilities in retaliation for air strikes; UNAMA recorded 13 incidents in June, including the targeting of schools and education officials and a complex attack on the provincial education offices in Jalalabad which killed six civilians and injured 17 others. In March in Charkh district in Logar province, 29 schools were also forcibly closed by the Taleban after the house of one of their commanders was targeted by pro-government forces.

ISKP has continued to target Shia Muslims, most of whom are ethnic Hazara. 115 Shia civilians were killed in the first half of this year and 251 injured (366 casualties in total), nearly all from suicide and complex attacks claimed by ISKP.

The proportion of civilian casualties caused by insurgents deliberately targeting them has also gone up – by 28 per cent in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period in 2017. Indeed, more than half of all civilian casualties from insurgents came in attacks claimed by the Taleban or ISKP. For each group, that increase was four-fold.

Finally, there has also been an increase in civilians being killed and injured in search operations by pro-government forces, including partnered operations between the ANSF and international military forces (UNAMA does not specify which forces, but both CIA paramilitaries and US special forces are possible). In particular, UNAMA says, National Directorate of Security (NDS) special forces and pro-government militias such as the Khost Protection Force have “caused increased civilian casualties and other abuses.” UNAMA warned about the behaviour of these forces and their international partners and their impunity in 2017 and 2016. Human Rights Watch in February 2018 also reported summary executions by NDS forces. In UNAMA’s latest report, it says:

These forces are of particular concern as many of them appear to operate outside of the Afghan National Security Forces’ chain of command, resulting in a lack of clear oversight and accountability given the absence of clearly defined jurisdiction for the investigation of any allegations against them.

Conclusion

The only solace UNAMA’s report gives is those downward figures on civilian casualties caused by ground engagements and pressure plate IEDs. Yet, it is important to note that in these cases, advocacy and political pressure appears to have succeeded in encouraging the parties to the conflict to put in place some measures to spare civilians. Set against the huge total number of civilian casualties and continuing bloodshed, the increase in civilian casualties civilians from suicide and complex attacks and by air strikes, this may seem a small thing. However, any reduction in the harm done to civilians is welcome. That UNAMA has also apparently become better able to differentiate who launches airstrikes resulting in civilian deaths and injuries – the American airforce or the Afghan airforce – is also a good sign. It provides an opportunity for greater and more focussed advocacy and support in reducing losses to civilians.

Overall though, the picture is bleak. The war continues to take the lives of Afghan civilians in vast numbers. Even the Eid ceasefire, which gave a tantalising vision of a country at peace, was ended by the Taleban with the launch of more than two dozen offensive operations. The level of violence in the country all too quickly returned to ‘normal’. The Eid truce may have sown the seeds of eventual peace through the opportunity it gave for Afghan combatants and civilians to travel to enemy areas and fraternise, and for local leaders to meet. For now, though, Afghanistan’s peaceful Eid already seems lost in the post-Eid bloodshed. Indeed, it would seem foolish after reading this report to hope for any major reduction in civilian casualties by the end of the year when UNAMA collates its annual report.

 

(1) UNAMA’s breakdown in how civilians were killed and injured was as follows:

• Ground engagements (29 per cent of the total): 1494 civilian casualties; 360 deaths, 1194 injuries
• Suicide and complex attacks (28 per cent): 1413 civilian casualties; 427 deaths, 986 injuries
• IEDs (17 per cent): 877 civilian casualties; 232 deaths, 645 injuries
• Targeted and deliberate killings (nine per cent): 463 civilian casualties; 301 deaths, 162 injuries
• Aerial operations (seven per cent): 353 civilian casualties; 149 deaths, 204 injuries
• Explosive remnants of war (five per cent): 239 civilian casualties; 149 deaths, 204 injuries

(2) UNAMA gave these figures for those who caused the civilian casualties:

• Anti-Government Elements (67 per cent of the total): responsible for 3413 civilian casualties; 1127 deaths, 2286 injuries
• Pro-Government Elements (20 per cent): 402 civilian casualties; 427 deaths, 645 injuries
• Jointly attributable (10 per cent): 503 civilian casualties; 123 deaths, 380 injuries

(3) For verification of each incident allegedly involving a civilian casualty, UNAMA says that it

…requires at least three different and independent types of sources, i.e. victim, witness, medical practitioner, local authorities, confirmation by party to the conflict, community leader or other sources. Wherever possible, information is obtained from the primary accounts of victims and/or witnesses of the incident and on-site investigations. This form of investigation is not always possible, primarily due to security-related constraints affecting access. In such instances, UNAMA relies on a range of techniques to gain information through reliable networks using as wide a range of sources and information as possible, all of which are evaluated for credibility and/or reliability.

For more detail, see the methodology section in UNAMA’s last annual report.

(4) Figures for the first six months of the years 2014-2018:

2014: 4,895 civilian casualties of which 1,686 were deaths

2015: 4,982 civilian casualties of which 1,615 were deaths

2016: 5,275 civilian casualties of which 1,644 were deaths

2017: 5,272 civilian casualties of which 1,672 were deaths

2018: 5,122 civilian casualties of which 1,692 were deaths

The previous years saw: 2,492 civilian casualties (2009), 3,271 (2010), 3,916 (2011), 3,138 (2012) and 3,138 (2013)

(5) In the first half of 2017, suicide and complex attacks caused 1,151 civilian casualties; 259 deaths and 892 injuries.

(For detail, see UNAMA’s 2017 mid-year report).

In the first six months of 2018, suicide and complex attacks caused 1413 civilian casualties; 427 deaths and 986 injuries.

(6) Since 2017, UNAMA changed its categories and started counting complex and suicide attacks as a subset of IEDs attacks.

(7) The numbers do not appear to add up, ie the reduction from both parties is less than the overall reduction. However, they do not account for those casualties which UNAMA could attribute to either side.

 

 

 

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Video, filmed from a rare point of view, of the An-225 taking off from Chimore Airport, Bolivia. The Antonov An-225 Mriya (“Dream” in Ukrainian language) is the world’s largest airplane. Designed at the end of Cold War, its main purpose was to carry the Soviet “Buran” space shuttle and parts of the “Energia” rocket. Currently, the […]

Beautiful Aircraft are going to be a Treat for U.S. Spotters and Photographers Along Las Vegas Blvd. The crowd of aviation spotters and photographers that forms as a daily ritual during any Red Flag air combat simulation exercise along highway 604/North Las Vegas Boulevard just north of Nellis are being treated to some unusual and […]

Further information
Nato summit: "I know there is a commitment from the Europeans”
Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

item 5: Special report no. 15/2018 by the European Court of Auditors on EUCAP Sahel: Strengthening the capacity of the internal security forces in Niger and Mali
Presentation by Bettina Jakobsen, Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report
Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

Americas

• The US Army is tapping Boeing to increase its transport capability. The awarded contract modification is valued at $131.1 million and provides for the procurement of four MH-47G Block II aircraft. The MH-47G Chinook is a variant of the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter, that has been optimized for Special Forces Operations. The most obvious difference of this helicopter variant is its big aerial refueling tube at the front. Less obvious modifications include additional sensors for surveillance, “aircraft survivability equipment,” dual embedded Global Positioning Systems, a redundant navigator for improved accuracy and reliability, and various advanced datalinks that allow the display of Near Real Time Intelligence Data (NRTID). The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of June 29, 2020.

• Weston Solutions is being contracted by the US Army Corps of Engineers to support its remediation efforts. The $27 million firm-fixed-price contract provides for the remediation of hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste as well as military munitions. Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste projects are implemented at former military sites that have been contaminated during weapons tests and other kinds of operations. The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program for example was initiated to identify, investigate, and clean up or control sites throughout the United States that were part of the Nation’s early atomic weapons and energy programs. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. The contract is expected to be completed by July 10, 2023.

• Raytheon is set to provide the Missile Defense Agency with the sustained capability to defend against ballistic missile threats. The awarded multiple award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (MAIDIQ) contract has a minimum amount of $10.000 and a maximum amount of $4.1 billion. The primary purpose of this contract is to provide autonomous acquisition and persistent precision tracking and discrimination to optimize the defensive capability of the ballistic missile defense system and counter evolving threats. The tracking and discrimination capability is at the heart of a ballistic missile defense system, stopping a missile attack begins with detecting a launch. THAAD for example uses the AN/TPY-2, an X-Band, phased array, solid-state radar developed and built by Raytheon. The TPY-2 is employed for surveillance at ranges of up to 1,000 km (600 miles) as well as target identification and target tracking, thanks to its high-power output and beam/waveform agility. Targeting information is uploaded to the missile immediately before launch, and continuously updated during the flight.

Middle East & Africa

• Jane’s reports that the government of Qatar’s order of Rafale fighter aircraft will be delivered between 2019 and 2022. The first Qatari squadron is being set up at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base in southwest France, there more than 200 pilots and technicians have been trained. The current F3 standard includes full integration with the Reco NG reconnaissance pod, implementation of all currently planned modes for the RBE2 radar, anti-ship attack with the Exocet or follow-on ANF, and support for an improved tanker pack. Qatar made an initial purchase of the Rafale in 2015 and gradually increased its order to 36 planes.

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to receive support for its F-15 Fleet Modernization program as part of a US foreign military sale. Titan LSC has been awarded a $68.4 million indefinite-delivery-requirements contract that provides for the acquisition of various different commercial vehicles and trailers in support of the RSAF program. Titan will facilitate delivery to the Dhahran Supply Depot at King Abdul Aziz Air Base and maintain operations in the Dammam Metropolitan Area in Saudi Arabia as a liaison for the operation. In October 2010 Saudi Arabia negotiated a $30-60 billion arms package with the USA including an order of 84 F-15 Strike Eagles. Work will be performed at Titan LSC, Amman, Jordan, and in the subcontractor’s facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The contract is expected to be completed by July 10, 2021.

Europe

• The government of Denmark has voiced its intent to purchase 29 AIM-120 C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM). The State Department is determined to approve this foreign military sale which has a value of $90 million. The potential deal includes the missiles, a spare guidance section and other equipment ranging from missile containers to training services. At present, the AIM-120-C7 is the most advanced AMRAAM approved for export beyond the USA. The AIM-120-C7 is currently in production for almost all export customers, with an improved seeker head, greater jamming resistance, and slightly longer range. Additional work continues to improve the C7’s resistance to electronic countermeasures, and the 2-phase EPIP program. The missiles would equip Denmark’s future F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.

• The government of Slovakia has decided to purchase 14 new F-16 fighters to replace its Russian made MiG-29 jets. The deal has a potential value of up to $1.3 billion. The Lockheed produced plane thus successfully competed against Saab’s Gripen. In April, the US State Department approved the potential sale of 14 Block 70/72 F-16Vs for Slovakia. The Slovakian defense ministry said in a press statement “the US offer was more advantageous for the Slovak Republic in terms of all parameters, and in this regard the ministry refused to speculate that the reason for choosing the F-16 aircraft was later delivery and thus prolongation of dependence on Russian technology.” The ministry compared the price of 14 F-16, ammunition, pilot training costs and ground staff, logistics, infrastructure completion, delivery times and other operating costs, up until the 2040s horizon.

Asia-Pacific

• The Nepalese Army intends to purchase on AW-139 Helicopter. The Nepalese government intended to purchase three helicopters in total for disaster response and rescue operations, however part of the purchase was cancelled as the price ceiling exceeded an earlier deal. The AW139 delivers best-in-class performance with a maximum cruise speed of 165 knots and a range in excess of 500 nm. It also has the largest cabin in its class, which can accommodate up to 15 passengers. The AW139 Chopper delivery date has not been disclosed yet.

Today’s Video

• Britain shows off its F-35s

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The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) is facing criticism from local defence companies and elements of the indigenous legal community over recent decisions made by former defence minister Karla Slechtova to decline to sign defence contracts with certain Czech defence companies. The grounds for these

ONE police officer was killed and three others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED), emplaced on a roadside, detonated targeting their vehicle in the 10th police district in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on 11 July., Pajhwok News reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility

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