Jane's Defense News

The Philippine government has confirmed an allocation of PHP25 billion (USD502 million) for 2018 to support the ongoing efforts to modernise the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In comments to the government-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) on 7 January, Major General Restituto Padilla Jr,

A Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) combat aircraft was lost during operations over Yemen on 7 January, the Kingdom’s state media announced. The aircraft, which the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) described as being a ‘twin-seater fighter jet’, reportedly came down at 1540 h local time after

The US Army is looking to acquire a further 35 Airbus Helicopters UH-72A Lakota training and support platforms to add to the more than 400 already delivered. A request for information (RFI) posted by the service on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website in early January asks for

Americas Brazil – 06 January 2018: On Passagem street in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, 15 armed robbers detonated an IED at a Santander bank branch, stealing an unspecified amount of cash and causing property damage. Chile – 07 January 2018: Mining company Glencore asked the Ministry of

Key Points US confirms decision to halt military aid and equipment deliveries to Pakistan Move expected to bolster Pakistan’s security partnership with China The US government has confirmed that it will hold back nearly USD2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan as it looks to prompt

Key Points Australia has begun installing components of the CEC system on its first two Air Warfare Destroyers First platform is on track for initial operational tasking, including against anti-air warfare threats, by late-2018 The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) first and second

Key Points USAF secretary vows no change in commercial payload on ICBM motor rocket policy Some in the USAF believe it is not barred from flying commercial payloads on ICBM rockets The US Air Force (USAF) secretary vowed to not change existing policy regarding commercial payloads on excess

The US Air Force (USAF) and Orbital ATK have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) as part of the company’s effort to certify its next-generation launch vehicle for national security space missions, according to a service statement. This co-operative agreement,

The United States and coalition efforts to establish and train an Afghan Air Force (AAF) lack means for tracking the service’s progress and are outsourcing the sort of logistics and maintenance tasks required for running an air force, according to the US Department of Defense Inspector General

The German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has halted the proposed acquisition of aerospace composites company Cotesa by a state-owned Chinese industrial group, pending an investigation, according to reports in the Financial Times . News of the deal, and of the German government’s

Event The Islamic State’s affiliate in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula (Wilayat Sinai) released a video on 3 January 2018 declaring war on Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the neighbouring Gaza Strip. The video included the execution of an alleged former Islamic State member

Key Points The provision of US Javelin anti-tank missiles to the Ukrainian military has now been approved Concerns remain, however, over the extent to which such weapons can be used effectively without training and over the import bureaucracy such deliveries will have to overcome A longstanding

US defence communications specialist L-3 Technologies announced the creation of three new international boards on 4 January, with the goal of supporting expansion of its business in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The three new organisations, composed of industry experts in each market,

Key Points Implementing the GVP and enhancing strategic mobility are key priorities for the Russian military, the Russian president has said Putin wants Russia to be “the absolute leader in building a new-generation army” Russian President Vladimir Putin set several priorities for the

The Project 11356 frigate Admiral Makarov , built by the Yantar Shipyard (a subsidiary of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation: USC) in Kaliningrad, has been handed over to the Russian Navy, USC stated on 26 December. The ship will be based in Sevastopol. Admiral Makarov was laid down on

South Korean firm LIG Nex1 expects to register a major fall in profits for fiscal year 2017 due mainly to a failed programme to develop and produce a radar system for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF). The company said in a stock exchange filing on 4 January that it expects to register an

Peru’s Defence Minister Jorge Nieto has become the latest member of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s cabinet to resign in a move likely prompted by the president’s pardon on 24 December of former president Alberto Fujimori, who had been serving a 25-year jail sentence. Nieto, who

The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) is conducting a series of cross-border artillery and airstrikes against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militant group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) North Kivu province as part of a joint operation with the Armed

Key Points Full amount to be suspended not yet confirmed but likely to be around USD1 billion US government points to a ‘new approach’ for military funding for Pakistan The United States government has announced a move to suspend security assistance to Pakistan until it takes

Yemen’s Ansar Allah group (the Houthis) announced on 31 December that its naval forces had captured an underwater “spy vehicle” operated by the Saudi-led coalition that it is fighting. On the following day, it released video footage showing divers swimming with an unmanned