Defence`s Feeds

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has displayed some of its newest platforms in a fleet review held on 23 April in the waters off the northern port city of Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding. More than 30 Chinese naval vessels and 18 foreign warships

Lockheed Martin recorded another strong quarter of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter deliveries, coupled with increased classified order activity, helping to bring the company’s backlog to a record USD133.5 billion at the end of the first quarter. “We are performing extremely

The European Commission aims to eliminate taxes on a broad range of activities linked to the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), from multinational exercises to capability projects flowing from the union’s two-year-old Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework. Such

On 23 April 2019, in Makhachkala, Dagestan, and Grozny, Chechnya, the Russian Federal Security Service (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, FSB) detained five alleged members of the Islamic State, who were allegedly planning terrorist attacks against law enforcement assets, and seized arms,

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on 22 April 2019 that the US would not extend any waivers for the purchase of Iranian oil after the current ones granted to eight countries expire on 2 May. The US will follow through on its zero-tolerance oil import policy, allowing waiver recipients a few

Pro-government and international military forces in Afghanistan were responsible for more civilian deaths in the first three months of 2019 than the Taliban and Islamic State-Khorasan militant groups, according to a 24 April report issued by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

Russia has launched its first submarine designed to launch the new Poseidon nuclear armed unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk. The nearly complete Project 09852 special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine, Belgorod, was moved out of the Sevmash main assembly hall

The T-72B3 obr.2016, also known as the T-72B3M, is the most modern standard of main battle tank (MBT) in service with Russian Ground Forces. It is an improvement over the T-72B3 and in December 2018 at least 10 were delivered to the 49th Combined Arms Army located in the Southern Military District.

The Portuguese Army will have 126 of its future VAMTAC ST5 (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico) 4×4 light tactical multi-purpose protected vehicles equipped with Rheinmetall’s 40 mm Rapid Obscurant System-Land (ROSY-L). The systems were purchased via the NATO Support and

The Senegalese Navy has ordered two RPB 33 patrol boats from Raidco Marine, one of the French company’s executives has told Jane’s . Both vessels are being built at the UFAST Shipyard, a partner of Raidco that manufactured Senegal’s first RPB 33, which was delivered in 2013. The

A contract for the construction of five new F-110 frigates for the Spanish Navy was signed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and state-owned shipbuilder Navantia on 23 April. Work is due to “start shortly” at its northwestern yard in Ferrol, Navantia said in a statement, emphasising the

Thales and Indonesian electronics specialist PT Len have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand collaboration on radars for the Indonesian military. Thales said on 24 April that the agreement, which extends the two companies’ long-standing partnership, facilitates the provision

Ukraine has completed one of the final trials of its Neptune land-based cruise missile, designed for coastal defence, and plans to soon field it to Ukraine’s naval and land forces, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced in April. According to Poroshenko’s statement, the test was

The new US Coast Guard (USCG) construction contract for a Polar Security Cutter (PSC) represents the resurrection of the US desire to be an Arctic shipbuilding force, according to Admiral Karl Schultz, the USCG commandant. “We’re about to get into the business of building some

Australia has deployed its Airbus Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) overseas for the first time, with a detachment participating in joint training exercises with Malaysia. Four Australian Army Tiger ARHs were airlifted to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) air base at Subang on a Royal

BAE Systems is looking to expand its industrial partnerships in India in line with an objective to increase outsourcing and exports from the Asian country. Paul Smith, the chief procurement officer at BAE Systems, said in comments recently emailed to Jane’s that the target is to develop an

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned two more 28 m coastal interception craft, the service announced via its official social media account on 24 April. The two vessels, which the service refers to as ICGS C-444 and ICGS C-446 respectively, were commissioned the day before in a ceremony at

Key Points The Indonesian Ministry of Defence has signed a contract for BMP-3F and BT-3F vehicles The vehicles will be in service with cavalry units across the Indonesian Marines Corps’ three divisions Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has acquired its first batch of BT-3F

I have published a review of Dima Adamsky‘s excellent new book on Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy on the Russia Matters site. Here’s a preview.

“Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics and Strategy”
By Dmitry Adamsky
Stanford University Press, April 2019

“Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy,” an important new book by the Israeli scholar Dmitry Adamsky, explores the critical but highly understudied juncture between religion and the military. Focusing on the role played by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in the restoration and development of the Russian nuclear weapons complex in the post-Cold War period, Adamsky highlights the organizational and ideological impact of the church on the gradual remilitarization of Russia over the last three decades. Adamsky has written a highly readable and informative book on a woefully understudied topic, though one that at times reads like a continuous success story for the church and raises many questions. Also, the book would have been strengthened by a more comparative focus, vis-à-vis both the role of other religious faiths in Russia and the experience of other countries.

The main argument comes in three parts. First, the church has played and will continue to play a crucial role in promoting the rebuilding of the Russian military in general and the nuclear weapons complex in particular. The book demonstrates that the church was among the earliest advocates for the nuclear weapons complex, at a time when the military and nuclear agencies were generally unpopular among Russians and neglected by a cash-strapped government. Second, the church has influenced the direction of security thinking among both Russian politicians and military leaders. Finally, church advocacy has resulted in a gradual conflation of national defense and rearmament with holiness and spirituality. The protection of the state and nation through armed force has been portrayed as a holy act that is highly compatible with religious belief and spiritual values.

The book is organized chronologically by decade. The first, labeled the Genesis Decade, follows the collapse of the Soviet Union and is the period during which the church-nuclear nexus was first developed, beginning as a grassroots phenomenon within the nuclear complex that combined with outreach efforts by the ROC. The second decade, labeled the Conversion Decade, features the emergence of a top-down trend that supplemented the bottom-up initiatives of the 1990s. During this period, which coincides with Vladimir Putin’s first 10 years in power, the increased role of religion in Russian society and political life merged with a gradual increase in societal respect for the Russian military to result in the formulation of the “nuclear orthodoxy doctrine.” The Operationalization Decade of the last 10 years, Adamsky argues, has resulted in peak clericalization of the Russian military and Russian foreign policy. During this period, “Orthodoxy became the main pillar of Russian nationalism and the basis of state ideology”; in the military sphere, “religious rituals became tightly interwoven with … combat activities” while “priests have penetrated all levels of command.”

Please click here to read the rest

Americas

Boeing won a $605 million modification for the production of the Air Force’s 11th Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) Communication Space Vehicle. The DoD uses the WGS system to communicate with warfighters across the globe. Ten Ka-band and 8 X-band beam can be positioned anywhere in the field of view of each satellite. WGS combines unique commercial spacecraft capabilities that Boeing has developed, including phased array antennas and digital signal processing technology, into a powerful, flexible architecture. United Launch Alliance ULA is scheduled to launch the 11th satellite aboard a Delta IV rocket in November 2023. Since 2001, Boeing has been the prime contractor of the WGS, which was first launched in 2008. GS 4, which was launched off in 2012, was the first Block II series. WGS-10 was meant to be the last of the constellation. But in March 2018, Congress added $600 million for the procurement of WGS-11 and WGS-12. Boeing will perform work under the modification in El Segundo, California and expects completion by November 20, 2023.

The US Army contracted General Atomics with $99 million in support of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS. The deal provides performance based logistics support services for the Unmanned Aircraft System. The Gray Eagle UAS addresses the need for a long-endurance, armed, unmanned aircraft system that offers greater range, altitude and payload flexibility over earlier systems. US Army Special Operations Forces and Intelligence and Security Command have two Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) systems, which include 12 unmanned aircraft, six Universal Ground Control Stations, nine Ground Data Terminals, three Mobile Ground Control Stations, one Satellite Ground Data Terminal, an automated takeoff and landing system, LMTVs, and other ground-support equipment operated and maintained by a company of 165 Soldiers. Work will take place in Poway, California and is scheduled to be completed on April 23, 2024.

Middle East & Africa

According to defensenews.com, Turkey’s homemade drones have the potential to boost local industry by raising export numbers. The combat proven Turkish drones don’t need foreign export licenses unlike other military platforms such as helicopters and tanks. The Turkish military has used unmanned systems in its fight against Kurdish militants in the country’s southeast and in counterinsurgency operations in neighboring Syria and Iraq. Currently the Turkish military operates 75 TB2 drones. The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude, long-range, tactical UAV system. It was developed by Kale-Baykar, a joint venture of Baykar Makina and the Kale Group. The UAV operates as a platform for conducting reconnaissance and intelligence missions. In January, Baykar Makina, a privately owned Turkish drone maker, won a contract to sell a batch of 12 of its Bayraktar TB2 UAVs to the Ukraine. Back in November, two Turkish companies – Tusas Engine Industries and Turkish Aerospace Industries – announced they had made significant progress toward building indigenous engines that would power locally made drones and armored vehicles. This would further independency from foreign engine suppliers. In February, it was reported that Tusas Engine Industries produced the first national UAV engine PD-170.

Europe

General Dynamics won a $269.3 million contract modification from the US Navy in support of the UK Dreadnought fleet and the US Navy’s Columbia Class fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). The modification includes the manufacturing of 42 missile tubes as well as missile tube outfitting material. The Dreadnought Class submarines, the future replacement for the Vanguard Class, will like their predecessors carry the Trident II D-5 missiles. The upcoming Columbia Class of nuclear submarines will replace the UGM-133 Trident II-armed Ohio Class. Work will take place in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania and is expected to be finished by May 2028.

Asia-Pacific

According to local reports, India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has launched the country’s third Project 15B guided-missile destroyer. Imphal, the third ship under Project 15B was launched on 20 April at MDL’s facilities in Mumbai. The Project 15B warships are also referred to as the Visakhapatnam Class. 15 ships are to be build under this class. The first Project 15B ship, Visakhapatnam, was launched in April 2015, while the second ship of the type, Mormugao , took to the water in September 2016. The warships are propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. They are 163 meters long and have a displacement of 7.300 tonnes.

Local media reported that Elbit Systems has won a tender to deliver its ATHOS (Autonomous Towed Howitzer Ordnance System) 2052 to the Indian Army, in a deal estimated at over $1 Billion. The bid by Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems and its Indian partner Bharat Forge has emerged as the winner in the Indian Army’s 155 mm, 52 calibre towed artillery gun competition. The price point at which the Elbit-Bharat Forge gun is being offered is even lower than the indigenously developed Dhanush 155 mm, 42 calibre gun, which is being manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board. According to Elbit Systems, ATHOS is capable of a range of more than 40km and utilizes a self-propelling capability and automatic laying mode. It is integrated with fully-computerized systems, achieving automatic control, accurate navigation, and target acquisition. The company has yet to command on the outcome of the Indian Tender.

Today’s Video

Watch: U S Navy Has a Serious Problem Now Too Few Ships