Australian PM Confirms 300 Ground Troops To Head To Iraq.

A 300-strong Australian Army Training team that will work alongside about 100 New Zealand Defence Force personnel will be fully operational in Iraq in mid-May, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on 14 April.

Australian PM Confirms 300 Ground Troops To Head To Iraq.

Both teams will be based at Taji, a logistics base about 50 km north of Baghdad, as part of the international effort to help Iraqi forces repel Islamic State in northern Iraq.

Afghanistan Rolls Out Armed MD 530F Helos.

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has rolled out into service its newly delivered armed MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F helicopters, the US Department of Defense (DoD) revealed on 10 April.

Afghanistan Rolls Out Armed MD 530F Helos.

The roll-out ceremony, which took place at Kabul International Airport (IAP) on 9 April, saw one of the first six helicopters delivered perform a live-fire demonstration of its twin FN Herstal Heavy Machine Gun Pods (HMPs).

Israeli Artillery Corps Looks For A New Self-Propelled Howitzer.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are in the advanced stages of selecting a replacement for their 155 mm M109 self-propelled howitzer, a senior source from the Artillery Corps said last week.

Israeli Artillery Corps Looks For A New Self-Propelled Howitzer.

The officer said the new howitzer needs to be able to have a higher rate of fire and a smaller crew than the M109, which entered service in the early 1970s. The new gun also needs a longer range and the ability to rapidly relocate to a new position.

Modi Announces Rafale Buy.

India is to buy 36 Dassault Rafale fighters in flyaway condition through an Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Paris on 10 April.

Modi Announces Rafale Buy.

This is double the 18 Rafales India had originally planned to buy as part of the stalled deal for 126 aircraft that Dassault has been in talks with the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) about since January 2012.

Russia and US Trade Blows Over Baltic Interception.

Moscow and Washington have traded verbal blows over the interception of a United States surveillance aircraft by a Russian fighter over the Baltic Sea, which the latter described as "reckless, unsafe, and unprofessional".

Russia and US Trade Blows Over Baltic Interception.

The incident, which took place on 7 April, saw a US Air Force (USAF) Boeing RC-135 intercepted by a Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker' fighter in international airspace. According to the Pentagon, the Russian jet flew within about 7 m of its aircraft in a fashion that, it said, endangered the lives of the crew.

Defence Becomes Hot Topic In UK Election.

Defence has become a hot political topic in the United Kingdom ahead of the country's upcoming May general election.

Defence Becomes Hot Topic In UK Election

Just as in the last general election in 2010, the future of the country's nuclear deterrent is the centre for disagreement between the various parties vying for power.

Chinese Moves To Adopt New Guided Rocket System.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is planning to buy the A300 hybrid rocket system developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

Chinese Moves To Adopt New Guided Rocket System.

This purchase, revealed at the 2015 IDEX show in Abu Dhabi, signals a likely move to upgrade the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) systems operated by the PLA's Second Artillery Corps (SAC). 

Iraq Reverses Decision On Tikrit Air Support.

The Iraqi Government has reversed its decision to sideline the United States from the offensive to recapture the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State: a move that has prompted the withdrawal of the Shia militias that were spearheading the operation.

Iraq Reverses Decision On Tikrit Air Support.

The US-led Combined Joint Task Force Operation 'Inherent Resolve' (CJTF-OIR) announced the decision on 25 March, when it said it had commenced "operations to support Iraqi security forces in Tikrit" at the request of Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi.

UK To Deploy Sentinel Surveillance Aircraft To Iraq.

The UK is to deploy a pair of Raytheon Sentinel R.1 Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) surveillance aircraft to the Middle East to bolster its support of the international mission against the Islamic State in Iraq.

UK To Deploy Sentinel Surveillance Aircraft To Iraq.

The deployment, which was announced by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 26 March, will see the aircraft conduct wide-area airborne surveillance to provide pattern-of-life intelligence and to track the laying of improvised explosive devices.

US Army Still Has Need For A Manned Scout Helicopter.

The US Army still considers the manned scout helicopter to be an essential component of its force structure, despite retiring its current fleet and cancelling its Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) procurement programme.

US Army Still Has Need For A Manned Scout Helicopter.

In an article published on the service's website in late-March, Major General Michael D. Lundy, commander of the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence, told a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee that the requirement for a manned scout helicopter has not changed, despite the divesture of the Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior that is now ongoing, and the decision in 2013 not to go ahead with the AAS project to replace it.