Croatia to sell surplus military aircraft.

Croatia is looking to sell a wide range of its surplus Croatian Air Force aircraft, with the state-owned Alan Agency issuing a new call to tender.

Croatia to sell surplus military aircraft.

The country hopes to sell seven Mil Mi-24V 'Hind' attack helicopters (manufactured from 1978 to 1987), two Antonov An-32B 'Curl' tactical transport aircraft (manufactured in 1991 and 1993), and six Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer aircraft (three PC-9s manufactured between 1986 and 1991 and three PC-Ms built in 1993).

Syria's Alleged Secret Reactor Site.

Syria has continued its nuclear weapons programme at an underground facility located in mountains close to the Lebanese border, according to "secret information" cited by Spiegel Online on 9 January.

Syria's Alleged Secret Reactor Site.

The German website suggested it had obtained documents that represented a consensus developed by multiple Western intelligence agencies regarding the construction of the underground facility 15 km west of the town of Al-Qasyr (34.513800 36.407900), which began in 2009 after an Israeli airstrike destroyed the reactor that Syria had tried to build secretly on the Euphrates River at Al-Kibar.

France Reassesses Military Cuts After Charlie Hebdo Attack.

France is reassessing planned defence cuts in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris on 7 January, France's president has announced.

Speaking on board the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle before it sailed to conduct operations in the Indian Ocean, François Hollande stated that "the exceptional situation…must allow us to revise the rhythm of military reductions planned for the next three years in accordance with the Loi de Programmation Militaire (LPM)".

France Reassesses Military Cuts After Charlie Hebdo Attack.

The LPM law defines French financial planning over a five-year period. Under the 2014-19 LPM, the armed forces were tasked with cutting 23,500 personnel (on top of the 10,000-strong reduction implemented by the 2009-14 LPM). In total, two-thirds of these positions were to come from support, headquarters, and administrative roles.

In 2014 alone 7,881 posts were lost, and a further 7,500 were due to go in 2015. This included the closure of a military hospital in Paris, the disbandment of the air force base in Dijon, and the disbandment of the 1st Régiment d'artillerie de marine (1er RAMa).

Ukraine restarting T-64-based.

Ukraine has renewed development of heavy infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) based on the T-64 main battle tank (MBT), Ukroboronprom has announced.

Ukraine restarting T-64-based.

The Kharkov Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau had previously created prototypes of a new IFV based on the T-64 but work is understood to have ceased some years ago.

Boeing Awarded LRIP Contract.

The US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing a USD60.4 million contract for the procurement of six low rate initial production (LRIP) AN/ASG-34 infrared search-and-track (IRST) systems for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet combat aircraft, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 16 January.

Boeing Awarded LRIP Contract.

The contract, which was approved in December 2014 and awarded the day prior to the announcement, is expected to be completed in August 2017.

China Ready to Sell S-26T Submarine To Royal Thai Navy

The state-run China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation officially introduced its S-26T submarine to the defense ministry of Thailand on Jan. 12 to strengthen the military-to-military relationship between Beijing and Bangkok.

After the decommissioning of the Royal Thai Navy's four Matchanu-class submarines, the nation has not operated submarines for more than 60 years. Now, however, some officials in the country's military government believe submarines are needed to defend the nation's freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Thailand. To rebuild its submarine fleet, the government decided to buy two or three submarines in Fiscal year 2016. China is the third nation to demonstrate interest in selling submarines to Thailand, after France and South Korea.

Yuan Class Submarine

By selling submarines to Thailand, China aims to gain a potential political and defense partner in South China Sea disputes with its neighbors at a time when Vietnam is also purchasing Kilo-class submarines from Russia.

Over the past 20 years, Thailand had signed contracts with Germany and South Korea to buy new submarines and considered buying S-20 submarines from China. These plans all fell through however due to repeated economic and political crises. As tensions escalate between rival claimants in the disputed South China Sea, Thailand has begun to feel that submarines are once again important to defend its national security, even though the country itself does not make territorial claims in the sea.

BAE Systems offers to move M777 production line to India.

BAE Systems has offered to transfer its entire M777 155mm/39-calibre lightweight howitzer (LWH) assembly line from the United States to India in support of the Indian Army's longstanding requirement for 145 guns.

"Encouraged by Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi's 'Make in India' call, we have developed and submitted a strengthened proposal on the M777 case [to India's Ministry of Defence]. This includes a higher degree of indigenisation on the weapon system," BAE Systems said in a statement on 15 January.

"We have included in our offer the transfer of the [M777] Assembly Integration & Test (AIT) capabilities into India," the statement added.

Australia upgrading C-130s.

Upgrades to the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) 12-strong fleet of C-130J-30 tactical transports are being progressed in parallel with changes in aircrew training intended to provide the government with a broader range of combat-focused options.

Australia upgrading C-130s.

Air Commodore Warren McDonald, commander of the RAAF's Air Mobility Group (AMG), told on 13 January that "inefficient and airline-like" pilot training was being rationalised and accelerated, while a start had been made on honing the tactical capabilities of the C-130Js. 

This will be followed by unlocking additional tactical options for the AMG's six C-17A Globemaster III heavy airlifters.

Iraq's D-20 Guns.

The Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) unveiled, on 14 January, one of the 152 mm D-20 artillery pieces that were recently delivered from Bulgaria.

Iraq's D-20 Guns.

In a video released by the MoD, a Bulgarian diplomat said that a total of 18 D-20s had been delivered.

Bulgaria announced in September that it had donated surplus arms and ammunition, including 1,800 firearms and 6,000 rounds, worth BNG5.96 million (USD3.58 million) to Iraq as part of an international effort to support Iraqi forces against the Islamic State militant group. It said the weapons and ammunition were transported with the help of partner countries.

Three days of Islamist terrorist attacks from 7 to 9 January in France.

Just before midday local time on 7 January in Paris, two masked men armed with AK-series assault rifles entered the office building of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdoand began shooting, while a third person remained outside.

Thousands of people gather at Republique Square in Paris on 11 January for a rally to honour the 17 victims of the terrorist attacks. On 14 January.

 The attackers were subsequently identified as 32-year-old Chérif Kouachi and his brother, 34-year-old Saïd Kouachi, both French nationals of Algerian descent. They killed 11 people in the office, including four of the magazine's well-known cartoonists and a police bodyguard, and wounded 11 others.