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.

UK Single-Source Procurement Reportedly Led To Claims For 'Croquet & Magicians'.

Single-source procurement in the UK defence sector has "long been recognised as an area of weakness" that suppliers have "exploited" by charging "too high a price", UK secretary of state for defence Michael Fallon has said in an article written for Defence Weekly .

UK Single-Source Procurement Reportedly Led To Claims For 'Croquet & Magicians'.

Fallon claimed that a "lack of commercial leverage" and "information" led defence contractors to claim for costs including croquet, horse racing trips, motoring fines, and "close-up magicians". He stated that there were expenses that the "taxpayer had no business paying".

Iraq's Shia Militias Roll-Out Heavy Rockets For Islamic State Offensive.

The Iraqi Shia militias who are leading the fight back against the Islamic State militant group appear to be making extensive use of improvised rocket artillery even though they benefit from Iranian support.

Iraq's Shia Militias Roll-Out Heavy Rockets For Islamic State Offensive.

Iran produces a wide range of artillery rockets and their associated launchers, most notably generic 107 mm and 122 mm systems, both of which are frequently seen in service with Iraq's Shia militias.

Japan Commissions Helicopter Carrier Izumo.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned first-in-class helicopter carrier JS Izumo (DDH 183) in a ceremony in Yokohama on 25 March.

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Japan Commissions Helicopter Carrier Izumo.

The 248 m-long vessel, which displaces 24,000 tonnes at full load, is the largest Japanese military ship built since the Second World War and can carry up to 14 helicopters. Izumo and its yet unnamed sister ship (DDH 184) are replacing JSShirane (DDH 143) and JS Kurama (DDH 144), inducted in 1980 and 1981, respectively.

Saudi Arabia launches Intervention In Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have launched a military operation against Ansar Allah, the Yemeni Zaidi group popularly known as the Houthis, at the request of Yemen's beleaguered President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi, the kingdom announced on 26 March.

Saudi Arabia launches Intervention In Yemen.

In a statement released in the name of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, it cited the regional threat presented by Ansar Allah, saying it had "heavy weapons, and long and short range missiles" and had revealed its aggressive intentions by building up its forces on its border with the kingdom and carrying out a live-fire exercise.

F-35B On Track.

The jump jet variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is still scheduled to reach initial operational capability (IOC) with the US Marine Corps (USMC) in July despite ongoing difficulties with F-35 software fusion, the Pentagon's programme manager for the effort said at a press briefing on 24 March.

F-35B On Track.

"The Marine Corps understands the deficiencies and has workarounds in place," said Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan. He said the workarounds required pilots to "do some extra work" instead of relying on the aircraft to automatically respond.

US Approves USD1.05 Billion Chinook Sale To The Netherlands.

The US government has approved the sale of 17 Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopters to the Netherlands for USD1.05 billion.

US Approves USD1.05 Billion Chinook Sale To The Netherlands.

The proposed sale, which was approved by the State Department on 19 March and announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 23 March, covers customer-unique modified helicopters, as well as ancillary equipment, support, and training.

'Type 093T' Sub Design Breaks Cover.

A computer-generated image of a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) has recently appeared on both news and social media websites. It illustrates a variant of the Type 093/Shang-class SSN carrying a docking hangar for a special forces swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV).

'Type 093T' Sub Design Breaks Cover.

The accompanying text indicates the hangar can accommodate only about 2/3 of the length of the SDV (which it compares with the US Mk VIII SDV) and so remains flooded when the vehicle is docked. 

France To Receive Modified VBCIs.

 The French Army is scheduled to receive the first three of 95 up-armoured VBCI (Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie) 8x8 armoured vehicles next month. The vehicles will be 29-tonne VCI (Véhicule de Combat d'Infanterie) infantry fighting vehicle variants modified to a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 32 tonnes with improved protection against improvised explosive devices.

France To Receive Modified VBCIs.

A contract for the development of the VCI configuration was awarded in December 2010 by the French Direction Générale de l´Armement (DGA) arms procurement agency to the vehicle's manufacturers, Nexter Systems and Renault Trucks Defense, with contracts for the modification placed in June 2013 for a first batch of 48 vehicles and in September 2014 for another batch of 47 vehicles.

Pentagon Sending Additional MLRS Battalion To South Korea.

US forces in South Korea in June are to receive additional artillery as the US Army reorganises its brigade structures and focuses on the Asia-Pacific region.

Pentagon Sending Additional MLRS Battalion To South Korea.

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter approved a plan to send a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) battalion to Camp Casey in South Korea for a nine-month rotation, the Pentagon announced on 20 March.

Portugal Begins Modernisation Of F-16s.

The Portuguese aerospace company Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal (OGMA) recently began to upgrade three Lockheed Martin F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon fighters for the Portuguese Air Force (FAP), the Portuguese Ministry of National Defence has told us.

Portugal Begins Modernisation Of F-16s.

All three aircraft will be upgraded to the F-16AM Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) standard by 2017.

USAF Receives First Production QF-16 Drone.

The first production Boeing QF-16 optionally manned target drone has been delivered to the US Air Force (USAF), the service announced on 20 March.

USAF Receives First Production QF-16 Drone.

Aircraft QF-007 arrived at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida on 11 March, ahead of being pressed into service by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATS).

USAF Releases T-X Requirements.

The US Air Force (USAF) on 20 March released requirements for its Northrop T-38C Talon combat aircraft trainer replacement programme, known as T-X.

USAF Releases T-X Requirements.

USAF Secretary Deborah Lee James, the service's senior civilian official, has emphasised open discussions with potential T-X manufacturers to keep the effort affordable. "The industry dialogue will help guide air force evaluation of threshold and objective requirements, producing better informed cost-capability decisions," James said in a 20 March press statement accompanying the requirements release.

F-35 Procurement Cost Estimate Drops.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has lowered its procurement cost estimate for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter by almost 2%, it announced in this year's annual report on weapons programmes.

F-35 Procurement Cost Estimate Drops.

The DoD says that it will now cost about USD391.1 billion to buy 2,457 of the stealthy combat aircraft that Lockheed Martin is producing for the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as well as 12 international customers. The new price is a reduction of USD7.5 billion from last year's estimate. The report attributes the drop primarily to "decreased contractor labour rates and lower subcontractor costs".

DRDO Makes Progress With More Astra.

Two Astra (Mk I) air-to-air beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles have been test fired from an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter off the Odisha coast, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced on 19 March.

DRDO Makes Progress With More Astra.

A test on 18 March "aimed at confirming the missile's capability to undergo manoeuvres involving very high gravitational forces up to the order of 30 G", said the DRDO.

Malaysia Selects NSM.

The Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missile and MBDA VL Mica point defence missile system will equip Malaysia's Second Generation Patrol Vessel - Littoral Combat Ship (SGPV-LCS), Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) sources, although the selection of both systems is awaiting final confirmation by the Malaysian government.

Malaysia Selects NSM.

The choice of the two systems reflects a compromise between the RMN and the Malaysian government, which had been sparring over the choice of guided weapon systems for the SGPV-LCS programme since 2012.

Norway's Improved CV90s.

The Royal Norwegian Army has received its first series-produced improved BAE Systems CV9030 infantry fighting vehicle.

Norway's Improved CV90s.

BAE Systems is under contract to upgrade 103 existing Norwegian CV90s and build an additional 41 for a total fleet of 144 under a programme understood to be worth USD500 million.

ATIRCM Cleared For FMS.

The BAE Systems' AN/ALQ-212(V) Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system has been approved for export by the US Department of Defense (DoD), the company announced on 2 March.

ATIRCM Cleared For FMS.

"We've been working for quite a while to get US government approval to export" ATIRCM, BAE's programme manager for the system Tom Kirkpatrick told on 26 February.

USS Fort Worth Conducts First CUES Activity With Chinese Warship.

The US Navy (USN) Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) has conducted its first Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) activity with a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warship, the USN announced on 26 February.

USS Fort Worth Conducts First CUES Activity With Chinese Warship.

The activity was conducted in international waters in the South China Sea, beginning on 23 February, with the Type 054A Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate Hengshui(572).