Jane's Defense News

Key Points Lockheed Martin has completed an initial test flight of a modernised T-50A The aircraft was developed jointly with Korean Aerospace Industries for USAF's T-X trainer programme Lockheed Martin completed a first test flight of a modernised T-50A that it developed jointly with Korea

Key Points The Philippine Navy has officially inducted its largest vessel to-date Platform will significantly improve the service's transportation and HADR capabilities The Philippine Navy (PN) has commissioned its first 123 m strategic sealift vessel (SSV), the PN's naval public affairs office

The US State Department has approved the sale of SM-2 Block IIIB Standard surface-to-air missiles, equipment, and support to Australia, costing an estimated USD301 million, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) disclosed on 31 May. The DSCA said the sale included up to 80 RIM-66M-09

MBDA Deutschland showcased a new laser-based system for countering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the ILA Airshow in Berlin on 1 June. The 'laser effector' is a 360-degree defensive solution that can be integrated on both land and sea platforms using standard interfaces. Although billed

Aeronautics Ltd announced on 30 May that is developing a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called the Orbiter 4. The Israeli company said the Orbiter 4 recently reached "its final steps" and will be launched towards the end of this year. Based on the aerodynamic structure of the

North Korea's failed 31 May launch of what was probably a Musudan-type intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is unlikely to dent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's continued pursuit of a nuclear strategic capability. The flurry of missile tests leading up to the first Worker's Party of Korea

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed to set up a committee on cyber security with a view to expanding related collaboration across the region and beyond. The agreement - announced by ASEAN in late May at the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) in Vientiane, Laos - will

Austrian defence minister Hans Peter Doskozil outlined for the first time on 1 June the detail of his planned material and infrastructure acquisitions to turnaround the underfunded Austrian armed forces (Bundesheer). A fund of EUR1.21 billion (USD1.4 billion) has been provided by Vienna for the new

Canada has kicked off a series of international military operations meant to train land and air forces to operate in a joint and international environment. Exercise 'Maple Resolve' includes more than 6,000 Canadian troops - largely from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group supported by the Royal

Key Points Capability matrices provide one way of assessing the effectiveness of the military of a country against its own stated requirements. By enabling analysts to identify areas of disparity between states, capability matrices can support the efficient allocation of resources when analysing

The recent publication of a US Department of Defense (DoD) report to Congress on Chinese military and security developments has prompted media comment that Beijing will shortly deploy nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) on deterrent patrols in the Pacific Ocean. The 2016 edition of

Key Points China appears to have adopted the Type 054A frigate design for a new coastguard ship The platform will bolster the China Coast Guard's ability to conduct operations at distance Images of what appears to be a new-build China Coast Guard (CCG) ship resembling the People's Liberation Army

The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued invitations to the governments of France, Israel, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to submit industrial offers for the supply of 3D mobile air defence systems (MADR) to the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR). The ACR has a urgent requirement for eight 3D

Italian defence technology group Finmeccanica has continued the transition to its new Leonardo brand with the announcement that it has relaunched its Finmeccanica Global Services company as Leonardo Global Solutions. The decision - approved at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders on 31 May and

The first of Egypt's two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships was formally handed over on 2 June in a ceremony held at Saint-Nazaire and attended by Minister of Defence General Sedki Sobhi. French shipbuilder DCNS said ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser (1010) would leave Saint-Nazaire in the next few days

A LOCAL police commander - identified as Commander Sarjang - a Pakistani doctor and another police officer were killed and eight people were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED), emplaced by Taliban militants, detonated in the commander's room at the Khogiani district headquarters in

Airbus Helicopters is building on the legacy of its X3 technology demonstrator by developing a derived platform that affords high-speed flight at an affordable price, the company announced on 1 June. Speaking to reporters at the ILA Berlin Airshow, Airbus Helicopters CEO Guillaume Faury said that

Airbus Helicopters is talking to both Boeing and Sikorsky about possible future workshare in the Schweren Transporthubschrauber (STH) replacement programme for the German Air Force's ageing CH-53G heavy-lift platforms, the company's CEO said at the ILA Airshow in Berlin. Guillaume Faury told

Lockheed Martin and MBDA are confident of securing a contract to develop their Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) for the German armed forces' Tactical Air Defence System (TLVS - Taktische Luftverteidigungssystem) requirement, despite being up against "an ambitious timeline", a

Indonesia's new defence White Paper has outlined a requirement for a "strong and independent defence industry" to support the country's efforts to protect its sovereignty in light of growing regional tension. The White Paper - launched on 31 May - makes clear that Indonesia's primary