Jane's Defense News

President Vladimir Putin confirmed on 17 March that Russian special forces, artillery, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) units have been operating in Syria. In a ceremony held at the Hall of the Order of St George in the Kremlin, Putin presented medals and decorations to 17 service personnel,

Key Points Envoy translates existing software code and requires no hardware upgrades to the aircraft Raytheon is now developing Envoy to fit on a circuit card thus improving SWaP Raytheon has developed software that will enable legacy aircraft such as the F-18 Hornet to carry and deploy modern

Key Points If international efforts to control the migrant problem in the Aegean Sea are not successful, in excess of 300,000 refugees and migrants could be trapped in Greece by early June 2016, raising the risk of domestic social upheaval. The Greek economy is unable to bear the cost of policing

Swiss firm RUAG reported its results for 2015 on 17 March, with sales down 2% for the year compared to 2014 but earnings climbed 21%. The company said that ongoing embargoes on arms exports to the Middle East hampered sales, and the results were also impacted by improvement in the exchange rate of

Large numbers of personnel continue to flow into east Ukraine from Russia, according to the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States' mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In an address to the OSCE in Vienna on 17 March, the wording of which was obtained by

Russia's defence industry has started testing the 3M22 hypersonic missile of the 3K22 Tsirkon (lit: Zirkon) missile system, a defence industry source told news agency TASS on 18 March. "The hypersonic missile development programme has reached the stage of flight tests; they have begun,"

The US Navy (USN) admiral in charge of Pacific naval forces told reporters on 18 February that diversity in the fleet is critical to his mission. "If the only thing in my toolbox is [Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (DDGs)], then I have to use DDGs for everything," Admiral Scott Swift,

Key Points ST Kinetics has showcased an updated version of its ARIELE soldier ensemble suite New additions to the ensemble include a wearable command and control system and a rifle that has been outfitted with wireless power functionality The Soldier System Development Group of Singapore

Land systems developer Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics has unveiled a new concept that is aimed at improving the mobility of military vehicles over soft and difficult terrain at the Singapore Airshow 2016 held from 16-21 February. Called the 'track over wheels' system, the concept is being

Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics, the land systems arm of the state affiliated defence prime ST Engineering, has unveiled the new Jaeger family of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) at the Singapore Airshow 2016, which was held from 16-21 February. The Jaeger range - under development by the

Key Points Singapore's ST Kinetics has unveiled a nearly production ready prototype of its Bronco New Generation All-Terrain Tracked Carrier The new vehicle features a higher level of protection and modularity than the current Bronco platform Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics, the land systems

ANALYSIS The presence of the US Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor at the 2016 Singapore Airshow, and statements from the company about future demand in Asia for more F-35 models to be procured have highlighted the interest in the region for fifth-generation combat aircraft. A number of air forces have a

Most NATO countries have come to grips with defence corruption on the domestic front, though several allies score poor marks, according to anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International's latest biannual assessment. However, only a tiny minority sufficiently guard against corruption in military

Key Points Wargaming and associated disciplines are widely recognised by militaries, government, and the private sector as a valuable alternative analytical technique. Policy gaming can support efforts to analyse complex real-world situations, encouraging innovative thinking, and challenging

The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina: FAA) is to shortly receive back into service a Lockheed Martin KC-130H Hercules tanker-transport aircraft that has been modernised in the United States. Aircraft TC-69 will arrive back in Argentina in the coming days, having gone through an upgrade

EVENT On 18 February 2016 the Self-Reliance (Samopomich) party, which has 26 seats in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada, left the ruling coalition, meaning that the remaining parties now hold only 217 votes, below the majority of 226. A day earlier, Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Fatherland

Key Points There have been at least 11 Islamic State-claimed attacks in Bangladesh since September 2015, primarily targeting religious minorities, foreigners, and security forces. Although the attacks are likely to have been carried out by domestic militants, the shift in targeting-pattern and

Key Points Nigeria's anti-corruption body has launched a USD175-million case for theft and money laundering against a former Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta general Government Ekpemupolo (also known as Tompolo). A string of attacks on major trunk pipelines, costing the

A GROUP of Communist Party of India - Maoist (CPI-M) militants put up propaganda posters at the Durga temple in the Dighi bazar area of Jamui district in India's Bihar state on 15 February, The Times of India reported.

Despite improvements in a number of areas the US Department of Defense (DoD) remains vulnerable to cyber attack, the 2015 report for the office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) has concluded. According to the report, the DoD has introduced enhanced protection for some