Jane's Defense News

Key Points USN issues four contracts to support USMC cyber and IT training The total value for all four contracts combined is USD61 million, although this figure could rise to more than USD100 million if options within the contracts are taken up The US Navy (USN) has issued four contracts for

Americas Brazil - 9 December 2016: In Recife, the armed forces announced that they were deploying 3,500 troops on the streets to combat a crime wave; the announcement was made after local police had threatened to go on strike. Colombia - 10 December 2016: In Guaviare province, FARC rebels

EVENT On 6 December, Ecuador's interior minister Diego Fuentes announced that 10 tonnes of cocaine had been seized in four operations over three days in the cities of Guayaquil and Esmeraldas and the island of San Cristóbal. The latest seizures bring the total to just over 90 tonnes between 1

The US government has approved a package of transport and attack helicopters for the Middle East valued at USD7.01 billion. Two separate sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) worth USD3.51 billion and USD3.5 billion respectively were approved by the State Department on 8

Nexter Systems and Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) showcased one of the first fruits of their joint venture - KMW + Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) - at the 2016 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) exhibition in Orlando in December. The Nexter FINDMP Digital Sand

China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) has expanded its range of remote weapon stations (RWS) with the development of the UW4A, IHS Jane's has learned. At this stage it has not been confirmed if the UW4A has been developed to meet the operational requirements of the People's Liberation Army

North Korea has denied any involvement in a hacking attack against South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND), saying Seoul is pulling off "a childish plot" to divert public attention from a political crisis, Yonhap news agency quoted North Korea's state-run Uriminzokkiri website as

The US State Department has approved a Moroccan request for 1,200 BGM-71-4B-RF wireless TOW 2A anti-tank missiles worth an estimated USD108, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 8 December. The DSCA said the missiles will "advance Morocco's efforts to develop an

A new piece of legislation that has quietly made its way through the US Congress over the past several months is calling for the creation of a new committee that would take concrete and even proactive steps against Russian 'new-generation warfare' and intelligence operations targeted against

South Korea has drawn up a list of 60 submarine components to be banned from export to North Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Seoul said in an 8 December statement. The watch list, which calls on other governments to ensure that the parts are not shipped to the communist country,

The US State Department has approved the potential sale to Australia of military electronic warfare (EW) equipment to support its Boeing E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. The Foreign Military Sale features an additional AEA-18G EW range system and related support, equipment, and training

BAE Systems Australia has been awarded a contract to provide support for the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs), the Department of Defence (DOD) in Canberra announced on 9 December. The contract is valued at AUD70 million (USD52 million) and runs for five years, said the

Despite significant budget constraints the Brazilian Navy still plans to procure another 20 500-tonne class coastal patrol vessels, but is focused on priorities such as submarines and corvettes, the head of the service's Directorate of Strategic Programs Management (DGePEM), Vice Admiral Afranio de

The Canadian government has selected the Airbus Defence and Space (DS) C295W aircraft for its Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) contract, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Judy Foote announced on 8 December. Over the next 11 years the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will receive 16 new

A new contingent of 165 Colombian troops will be deployed to the Sinai Peninsula to join the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), which was created in 1979 to supervise implementation of an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the Colombian Army announced on 6 December. The contingent (COLCON) will

The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) multi-billion-dollar project aimed at disposing weapon-grade plutonium, the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF), will continue construction despite DOE asking to terminate the programme and Russia suspending the arms control agreement underpinning the

South Korean defence minister Han Min-koo has ordered the country's military to tighten vigilance against a possible North Korean provocation after parliament voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal, Yonhap news agency quoted the ministry as saying. The National Assembly

BAE Systems has been awarded a GBP287 million (USD361 million) contract to build two more Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Royal Navy, it was announced on 8 December. The order of two more OPVs was set out in the United Kingdom's 2015 defence review, and will add to the

Key Points Ukraine set to commission first two of nine planned Gurza-M patrol craft Navy is seeking to re-constitute its force in the wake of the 2014 Crimea crisis The Ukrainian Navy commissioned two Project 58155 Gurza-M missile-capable riverine patrol boats on 6 December, following lengthy

US and UK strategic surveillance aircraft are flying more than one mission a week over the Baltic, Ukraine, and Black Seas as part of an intensified effort to monitor Russian military activity in these sensitive regions. The flights included two missions by USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk