Defence`s Feeds

The L-CAT is a high-speed sea connector for amphibious operations in the areas of military, logistics support and disaster relief.

Australia's state-owned naval shipbuilder ASC has warned its workforce that it will need to reduce the number of trade positions on the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) programme by about 175 by the end of October. In a statement on 24 August, ASC said the cuts are part of

Bolivian Minister of Defence Reymi Ferreira Justiniano and Ruben Lazo, vice-president and director of Latin America for Thales Group, signed a contract concluding protracted negotiations for Bolivia's national Integrated Air Defence and Traffic Control System (SINDACTA) on 23 August. A previous

China's investment in its aircraft carrier programme continues with the construction of a second Daguan-class auxiliary ship. The first of class, Xu Xiake (pennant number 88), was introduced into service in 2011 and has accompanied the carrier Liaoning on all of its sea trials. The Daguan-class

The Australian government has signed two contract extensions totalling approximately AUD300 million (USD229 million) with BAE Systems Australia and Raytheon Australia to support the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) fleet of Hawk lead-in fighters and to sustain and operate simulators used by the

South African defence group Denel has reported a good year, firming up its turnaround plan and continuing its five-year trend of growing revenue and profitability. Revenue for the 2015/16 financial year climbed 41% to ZAR8.228 billion (USD596 million) while EBIT and net earnings reached ZAR637

The European Union has said Pyongyang's 24 August launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) represents "yet another serious violation" by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of UN Security Council resolutions. Adding its voice to international condemnations, the

Operation 'Sophia', the EU's maritime mission in the Mediterranean, will soon train Libya's coastguard and navy. Meeting in Rome on 23 August, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to carry out the training, which begins in the autumn. Sophia will join with other EU agencies and

EVENT On 22 August 2016, Finnish defence minister Jussi Niinisto said that Finland was negotiating a defence co-operation agreement with the United States, which it hoped would be signed before the US presidential election in November. On the same day, Swedish defence minister Peter Hulqvist said

India has ordered an investigation into a leak of sensitive information to an Australian newspaper. The information reportedly details the operational and combat capability of six French Scorpene-class submarines that are being licence-built for the Indian Navy (IN) in Mumbai. "The available

Key Points Indonesia has selected the Type 730 close-in weapon system for a second Kapitan Pattimura corvette Selection is in line with a wider adoption of Chinese-made weapon systems within the Indonesian Armed Forces The Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL)

Iran unveiled its locally developed Bavar-373 long-range air defence system on 21 August, indicating it is continuing the programme even though it is now receiving S-300 systems from Russia. The head of the Iranian air defence command first announced the Bavar-373 was being developed in September

The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) will undergo new training to enable them to more effectively take part in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations, Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said on 24 August, according to Kyodo news agency. The JSDF were restricted in their operational capabilities

Australian government ministers have dismissed concerns that a massive leak of secret documents suffered by French submarine constructor DCNS could affect the security of Australia's AUD50 billion (USD38 billion) Future Submarine fleet. DCNS was named in April as the preferred international partner

Lithuania has placed a EUR390 million (USD440.7 million) contract with Europe's Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the supply of 88 Boxer (8x8) Multi-Role Armoured Vehicles (MRAVs), of which most will be in the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) configuration and a small number in

Lockheed Martin is in talks with Indian company Vem Technologies about a partnership to produce sensors, a spokesperson from the US corporation has confirmed to IHS Jane's . The partnership is geared towards producing and integrating electro-optical sensors that could support Indian military

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a USD36.4 million contract for Phase 2 of the US Air Force's (USAF's) System of Systems Integration Technology and Experimentation (SoSITE) programme, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 24 August. The company will develop system-of-systems (SoS)

New Zealand is to issue an international tender to support its procurement of a new multi-purpose vessel, the government announced on 24 August. A statement said the government has approved a Ministry of Defence (MoD) and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) recommendation to request tenders for a new

Americas

• The Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based research project, will host a series of workshops for journalists on the identification of small arms and light weapons. Aiming to improve the reporting on weapons and ammunition, the event will take place in New York from September 6-7. Participants will learn skills in the identification and recording of weapons and ammunition, tracking them to their source, and understanding the strategic and diplomatic implications of their proliferation.

• General Atomics has been contracted by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to develop a laser tracking system for the MQ-9 Reaper UAV. Valued at $9.6 million, the contract will set the company to design, build and test in the lab key laser subsystems to demonstrate precision tracking. Furthermore, the company will develop and demonstrate an MQ-9 flight representative laser system with the beam train optics required to upgrade a multi-spectral targeting system for use as an active tracking sensor.

Middle East & North Africa

• US and Russian talks over coordinating activities in Syria still remain to be finalized. The talks, based on “on necessity, rather than trust” according to US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, still have a long way to go before anything is decided. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet for another round of discussions on Friday, with the goal of setting up some sort of intelligence sharing agreement in order to coordinate strikes against the Islamic State.

Europe

• Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense continues with the modernization of their land forces after awarding a $435.1 million contract to the German-Dutch Artec consortium for the provision of 8×8 Boxer infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). The group, a cooperation between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles will deliver the vehicles equipped with Israeli-made turrets and armed with 30 mm cannons and Spike LR anti-tank missiles. This follows a bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and the Dutch government, who are currently in the process of transferring second hand Army land vehicles east to boost Lithuanian military capabilities.

• Russia is to fly its first aircraft with a long-range surveillance and control system for the first time in 2018. An Ilyushin Il-76MD, often used as an aerial tanker, will be fitted with the A-100 Premier system which boasts a greater range compared to the US-made Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS). Once operational, the aircraft will reportedly be able to detect fighter jets at a distance of more than 324 nautical miles, and identify ships at 216 nautical miles.

• When is a neutral state not neutral? After spending most of the Cold War adhering to strict military neutrality, Finland is in talks with the US over a defense collaboration with the intention to have an agreement signed this Fall. With Finland sharing a 1,300 km border with Russia, it is one of a number of Nordic and former Soviet Baltic states concerned over increased Russian military activity following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Moscow has denied that it poses a threat to Nordic countries, but this hasn’t stopped another neutral nation, Sweden, signing a deal with the US in June similar to what Finland now hopes to achieve.

Asia Pacific

• The US State Department has approved another $60 million arms sale to the Afghan government with FN America standing to be the principle contractor. 4,891 M16A4 5.56mm rifles, 485 M240B 7.62mm machine guns and 800 M2 .50-caliber machine gun alongside an unspecified numbers of M249 light automatic machine guns, M1110 7.62mm sniper rifles and MK-19 40mm grenade launchers will be transferred as part of the deal. Since 2002, the US has spent over $68 billion training and equipping the Afghan Armed Forces.

• Saab has announced that it has been contracted by the New Zealand government to provide the New Zealand Army with the Tactical Engagement Simulation System, the company announced Monday. The five-year deal offers a wide range of realistic training scenarios that will enhance the army’s ability to conduct and analyze the outcomes of force-on-force exercises. So far, the company has provided the system to US, British, Canadian, Australian, and NATO forces.

Today’s Video

The Boxer 8×8:

Ukrainian Skif Anti-Tank Guided Missile