Jane's Defense News

The logistics department of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) conducted in late January its first logistics support drills involving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from two civilian companies, according to a 29 January report by the People's Liberation Army (PLA)-sponsored China

A Boeing 747-800 transport aircraft belonging to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) crashed on 29 January in a mountainous area of southwest China’s Guizhou province. An official PLAAF statement said the aircraft “crashed during flight training”, but gave no

Key Points As part of its non-linear approach to modern warfare, Russia has integrated private military companies (PMCs) into its warfighting strategy in largely conventional and support roles. Russian PMCs have a close operational relationship with Russian special forces and intelligence

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack (EA) aircraft caught fire and suffered serious damage during an aborted take-off from Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) in the United States on 27 January. The twin-seat Super Hornet-derivative aircraft suffered an undisclosed

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is to scrap 16 UK Eurofighter Typhoons as part of a project to save GBP 800 million (USD1.13 billion) on the running cost of the service's combat aircraft fleet. The plans to dismantle the aircraft and harvest spare parts for use on the remainder of the Typhoon fleet

The pilot brigade for a reorganised and more heavily equipped and qualified Spanish Army is due to begin operating under its new “war of the future” role later this year, the army chief of staff has announced. The 25 January announcement was made by army General Francisco Javier Varela

Event Four Malian soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack on their base in the northeastern town of Menaka on 28 January, the latest in a series over the past week. The previous day, 14 soldiers were killed and 18 wounded at their base in Soumpi, near the border with Niger, while 26 civilians

Australia and Japan have outlined an intention to expand defence equipment collaboration, building on Canberra’s newly confirmed deal to sell additional Bushmaster multirole protected vehicles to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). The pledge to increase bilateral co-operation in

Europe’s investment in R&D, including that in security and defence, is “sub-optimal”, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s infrastructure and innovation-financing wing, which says it is preparing in 2018 to support the two sectors as never before.

Key Points The Greek anarchist group Rouvikonas, active since 2015, has claimed 87 instances of demonstrative vandalism, temporary occupations, and attacks resulting in property damage. By opting for unarmed attacks, and symbolic transgressions of the law, the group has reached large audiences and

Key Points ‘Saif Sareea 3’ in Oman later this year will involve around 4,500 UK military personnel The joint exercise will be the largest training activity in the region for 17 years Major UK joint manoeuvres with Omani forces in the Middle Eastern country later this year will involve

India’s Ministry of Defence is acquiring a new class of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) to improve the navy’s maritime surveillance and interdiction capabilities, and has issued a request for information (RFI) to finalise specifications of the programme. The platform, which will be known

Key Points Indonesia is studying the Boeing KC-46A, and the Airbus A330 MRTT to improve its aerial refuelling capabilities Programme is expected to be the next major logistics aircraft acquisition undertaking after the Airbus A400M The Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia –

Key Points A pair of nominees for top Pentagon positions called for more prototyping in acquisition They believe this will enable faster, and better, fielding of critical warfighting capabilities A pair of nominees for top Pentagon positions called for additional prototyping and experimentation

Key Points The USAF undersecretary warned further CRs could affect B-21 deliveries The B-21 is one of the service’s highest priority programmes A top US Air Force (USAF) official warned that further stop-gap spending measures known as continuing resolutions (CRs) could delay delivery of the

An Airbus CN235 on a training flight from the 1st Main Jet Base Command in Eskisehir, central Anatolia, crashed on 17 January at a remote location in Isparta province, southern Turkey, killing its two pilots and technician. The Turkish Chief of General Staff’s office gave no information

The Brazilian Navy Marine Corps is significantly boosting its ability to conduct amphibious operations as it prepares to receive 23 AAV7A1 RAM/RS amphibious assault vehicles (commonly called the CLAnf in Brazil), This tranche includes 20 AAVP7A1 RAM/RS transports, two AAVC7A1 RAM/RS command posts,

Event On 17 January 2018, a senior Fair Russia party member of parliament in the State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, said that his committee would introduce a bill that would legalise the activities of private military companies (PMCs) within one month. PMC is a term applied

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are set to introduce a new portable command, control, and information (C2I) system for its ground forces, which for the first time will serve all field officer ranks, from platoon to brigade commanders. Called Shaked (Hebrew for ‘almond’), the new system

India has test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni V ballistic missile in its operational configuration to a range of around 5,000 km. “We [India] have successfully launched nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni V today,” Indian Defence Minister