Jane's Defense News

Germany granted export licences for EUR5.3 billion (USD6.1 billion) worth of defence equipment in the first six months of 2019, surpassing the full-year 2018 total of EUR4.8 billion, according to a report by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The BMWi provided the data in

The Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), the French defence procurement agency, has announced on its website that it received the sixth Frégate Européenne Multi-Missions (FREMM) frigate, Normandie , for the French Navy in Brest on 16 July. The DGA said on 17 July that

Just nine days after signing an agreement with the Argentine government on 3 July for the provision of two FAdeA IA-63 Pampa III aircraft the Guatemalan government cancelled the order. Guatemalan Defence Vice Minister General Jorge Ruiz said the Central American country would not proceed with the

Shipbuilding company Japan Marine United (JMU) Corporation launched the second of two Maya (Improved Atago)-class destroyers on order for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) on 17 July. Named Haguro (pennant number 180), the 170 m-long vessel entered the water in a ceremony held at

The United States Senate is considering an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would retain State Department control over small-arms exports. A proposal by the Trump administration to shift this responsibility to the Department of Commerce was defeated in the House of

A senior official in NATO’s electronic warfare community told Jane’s that the next-generation NATO Emitter Database (NEDB-NG) is slated to be operational by 2020. The alliance’s original NEDB architecture commenced operations in the early 1990s as a means for members to store and

French shipbuilder OCEA has launched the 84 m offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Gabriela Silang (8301) for the Philippine Coast Guard. Claimed to be the largest aluminium-built OPV in the world, Gabriela Silang was craned into the water at OCEA’s facility in Les Sables d'Olonne on the west coast

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has announced three units to take on new and enhanced capabilities and roles. Speaking at the Chief of the Air Staff’s Air & Space Power Conference (ASPC) in London on 17 July, the head of the RAF announced the continuation of 8 Squadron as the unit to field

Russian defence equipment manufacturers should be offered long-term, low-interest loans from the country’s sovereign wealth fund, a senior executive at Vnesheconombank (VEB) has said. Andrei Klepach, a former deputy economic development minister who is now vice-chairman of VEB, suggested on

Textron has reported a USD500 million year-on-year drop in revenues for the second quarter of 2019, although it has improved its pre-tax profit margin and delivered higher earnings per share (EPS). Commenting on 17 July, Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly hailed a “solid margin performance

The Despot (4×4) mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle – now in service with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska in the armoured personnel carrier (APC) configuration – is being offered on the export market by its manufacturer, Tehnicki Remont Bratunac (TRB). The

The UK Royal Navy (RN) in early July conducted pilot surface-to-surface trials of the Thales UK Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) – designated ‘Martlet’ in RN service – from a frigate at an off-shore firing range in the Irish Sea. The trials, in which a five-round LMM

The UK’s Royal Navy (RN) will deploy a second Type 23 frigate to the Gulf, according to a 16 July announcement by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). “Later in the year, Type 23 frigate HMS Kent will deploy to the Gulf, taking over from HMS Duncan, ensuring an unbroken presence,” it

The United States has imposed sanctions on the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), his deputy, and two other senior Tatmadaw officers for what Washington described as their involvement in a campaign of atrocities and “ethnic cleansing” against Myanmar’s

The Argentine Navy confirmed on 16 July that it is negotiating with the US government regarding the acquisition of four Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) to replace the P-3Bs assigned to its ‘Naval Air Exploration Squadron’ (Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Exploración).

Australian shipbuilder Austal has raised its earnings outlook based on the growing productivity of its shipyards in Asia, the company said on 16 July. Austal said that in fiscal year (FY) 2019, which ended 30 June, it expects EBIT of approximately AUD92 million (USD64.5 million) and revenues of

Australian firm XTEK, a developer of defence and security technologies, has agreed to acquire US firm HighCom Armor Solutions, a specialist in body armour and personal protective equipment. XTEK said on 17 July that the acquisition will be worth at least AUD3.6 million (USD2.5 million) and funded

The Brazilian Navy test-fired the third and final prototype of the locally developed MANSUP (Míssil Antinavio Nacional de Superfície) surface-to-surface anti-ship missile on 10 July. The missile was fired from one of the two ITL-10 twin missile launchers on board the Niterói-class

Key Points The Royal Malaysian Navy has conducted anti-ship missile firings in the South China Sea The rare drills have come against the backdrop of fresh tensions in the disputed maritime region The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) conducted a rare show of its missile capabilities near the disputed

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) are looking to laser scan US Navy (USN) ships to better assess the vessels and conduct related work on them. Previously, yard workers and supervisors would have to rely on hand drawings for ship checks, but navy engineers say