Jane's Defense News

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is to beef up the armament of its MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters with air-to-surface rockets, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 13 July. The seven-tube M260 launcher for the 70mm (2.75 inch) rockets is to be integrated onto the

INTELLIGENCE officials, cited in media outlets, reported on 13 July that Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen had formed unit called Jaish Ayman predominantly made up of Kenyans, which was primarily responsible for attacks claimed by the group in Kenya, and whose objective is to seize control of the

AT LEAST five people were killed and 15 others wounded in two coordinated attacks by Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen militants involving at least two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDS) and small-arms fire targeting two hotels in the centre of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on 10 July,

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said during a 14 July press briefing in Vienna that he expects the United States will, given the nuclear deal with Iran, halt its efforts to install missile defence systems in Europe that Russia has long viewed as a threat to its own nuclear deterrent. It was

EVENT Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has replaced his full set of senior security chiefs, naming new heads of the army, navy, and air force, as well as a new chief of defence staff, head of defence intelligence, and national security adviser. The previous security chiefs were appointed in

Turkish media reported on 10 July that Aselsan had signed a new agreement with two Saudi Arabian firms for future investment and development. The two companies, King Abdulaziz City For Science and Technology (KACST) and TAQNIA Defense and Security Technologies (DST), have been part of a recent push

Key Points New Aselsan concept enters hard-kill 'anti-torpedo' market The torpedo countermeasures market, long-dominated by soft-kill methods, is evolving with new hard-kill concepts emerging Turkey's Aselsan has recently revealed a new weapon concept that joins the growing number of hard-kill

Key Points Bangladesh's pair of new-build C13B corvettes has commenced trials in China ahead of a planned December 2015 entry into service Two more corvettes are to be ordered Recent Chinese internet images suggest that the pair of C13B corvettes being built for the Bangladesh Navy (BN) at

AT LEAST 17 people - including two police officers - were killed and 80 others wounded when a male suicide bomber - disguised as a female in a burqa - detonated his explosives as police stopped him outside a market in Chad's capital N'Djamena on 11 July, Al-Jazeera and Reuters reported. Boko Haram

EVENT Two female suicide bombers wearing burqas detonated their devices on 12 July in front of a Chadian-Cameroonian military camp in Fotokol, in the Far North region of Cameroon bordering northeastern Nigeria. The attacks killed at least 11 people, including one Chadian officer, and injured 17,

EVENT Venezuelan interior minister Gustavo Enrique González López reported yesterday (13 July) on the result of a 48-hour joint operation by the National Guard, Venezuela's judicial police the Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas (CICPC), the national

Key Points El Chapo's escape represents a political, security, and institutional setback for President Enrique Peña Nieto. It highlights the institutional weaknesses within Mexico's law enforcement agencies. The escape serves as a reminder of the strength of organised crime in Mexico. There

US contractor Harris on 10 July announced the planned headquarters for its business units, following news of a reorganization on 1 July. Company headquarters will remain in Florida. Many of the primary business areas will be based at or near the company's headquarters, in Melbourne, Florida,

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering private sector involvement in designing the Mk 2 version of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which has been under development by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for over three decades. Official sources said the MoD was 'seriously'

Pentagon officials have rebranded and re-organised the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), renaming it the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency (JIDA) and placing it within the department's acquisition shop. The new agency is chartered with helping to counter improvised

At least a dozen Oshkosh All-Terrain Mine-Resistance Ambush Protected Vehicles (M-ATVs) have been delivered to Yemeni and are being used in the fighting for the strategically important port city of Aden. Amateur videos and photographs of the M-ATVs in Aden began to emerge on social media channels

Key Points New flight tests score two out of three Helina delayed by time and cost overruns and technological challenges The Indian Air Force conducted the latest in a series of flight trials of the much-delayed 190 mm Helina anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) at the Chandhan firing range, in

Morocco has ordered a 50 m landing craft tank (LCT) from Piriou, the French shipyard announced on 9 July. French shipyard Piriou has been contracted to build a 50 m landing craft tank (LCT), the company announced on 9 July. The new vessel will be built at Piriou's Concarneau shipyard in Brittany,

In an apparent attempt to shake-up counter-insurgency operations, Nigeria's new president Muhammadu Buhari has replaced the chiefs of staff of all three services months before schedule, as well as the chief of defence intelligence (CDI) and national security advisor (NSA). Nigeria's service chiefs

Nine companies have been given permission to view detailed financials from Israel Military Industries as part of an Israeli government plan to privatise the company, local media reported on 13 July. Globes, an Israeli business publication, reported that the nine companies will be given access to