Jane's Defense News

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a law guaranteeing loans of RUB48.3 billion (USD757 million) to six of the country's main defence companies on 19 August. The decree, Order No 1723-p, was judged necessary to allow companies including United Shipbuilding Corporation, Irkut

Key Points Russia will seek to manage the proxy conflicts between Iran and Turkey in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and northern Syria, replacing the traditional role of the United States. Russia will negotiate support for Syrian Kurds in exchange for Turkish acquiescence for

Key Points Russia uses aggressive rhetoric and military threats to pressure Ukraine and the West into accepting Moscow's interpretation of the Donbass settlement, including by a controlled escalation by pro-Russian separatists. Russia is likely to aim to use controlled military escalation of the

ANALYSIS The United States is preparing to deploy its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) counter missile system to South Korea, but it is unclear how many launchers or interceptors will be part of the battery so its defensive capability remains ambiguous. A full THAAD battery includes the

The US Air Force (USAF) on 19 August awarded Boeing a USD2.8 billion contract for the first two KC-46A Pegasus tanker low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots. The contract is for seven aircraft in LRIP 1 and 12 in LRIP 2, in addition to spare engines and refuelling pod kits. The company is expected

The 27th Jiangdao-class (Type 056) corvette to enter service with China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) was commissioned into the East Sea Fleet on 11 August. The principal weapons of the 1,500-tonne corvette, named Huai'an (509), are four YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, a 76 mm gun, two

A Royal Artillery Thales Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Wales after a computer glitch made it activate its landing procedures prematurely, an inquiry has found. The director general of the Defence Safety Authority, Air Marshal Dick Garwood, said the crash showed the vehicle

Key Points Indonesia is preparing to induct a Chinese-made integrated air-defence system with its marine corps Induction comes at a time when ties between the two countries are being increasingly tested over Beijing's stance in the South China Sea The Indonesian Marine Corps (Korps Marinir, or

Pittsburgh-based ForAllSecure's Mayhem system has emerged as the winner of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) inaugural Cyber Grand Challenge. DARPA modelled the challenge on a typical 'capture the flag' cybersecurity exercise. During the competition, each team's cyber

The Minotor-Service Enterprise of Belarus has developed an upgrade suite for the Russian BTR-50PK amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC). Called the BTR-50PKM, Minotor-Service states that the package is also applicable to other members of the BTR-50 family of tracked armoured fighting vehicles

The defection of Mullah Najibullah, the deputy of dissident Taliban commander Mullah Mohammad Rasool, in the second week of August to the mainstream faction of the group led by Haibatullah Akhundzada is a key development that strengthens the group around the Taliban's Quetta Shura leadership body.

Afghan security officials announced on 15 August that Taliban forces had captured the strategically important Dahan-e-Ghori district in the country's northern Baghlan province, following several days of heavy fighting. Baghlan deputy police chief Amir Gul Hussainkhil told Reuters that the district,

Patria Land Systems President Mika Kari has confirmed that the company has submitted its AMV 8x8 armoured vehicle for a Qatari requirement, Finland's Yle public service broadcaster reported on 10 August. Kari did not say how many vehicles Qatar was interested in buying, but said it would be a

The Philippines government has proposed a 2017 defence budget of PHP134.2 billion (USD2.9 billion), a year-on-year increase of about 15%. Figures published by the Philippine Department of Budget and Management (DMB) on 15 August show that the Philippine Army, with an allocation of PHP56.88 billion,

The Russian defence industry has developed a slat armour system designed for tracked and wheeled armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) for enhanced survivability against anti-tank weapons fitted with a single high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead. These include the PG-7 rocket fired by the RPG-7,

South Korea's military will greatly increase the number of Hyunmoo missiles (also known as Hyunmu or Hyon Mu) in its arsenal to better counter North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, according to the Yonhap news agency. Government insiders said the military is devising a plan to

The Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) will equip their new destroyers with the Aegis Baseline 9 naval combat system. The system, which has been described as the latest evolution in the Aegis series, will feature integrated air- and missile-defence

The US Army has published the draft request for proposals (RfP) for a new Small Airborne Networking Radio (SANR) that will replace Rockwell Collins' ARC-210D radio. The army will award a single indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for 7,000 radios. The decision to award a

The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GAASI) a USD370.9 million contract for the procurement of an additional 30 MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Awarded by the Department of Defense (DoD) on 15 August, the

Key Points Producing useful analysis of conflict and terrorism requires analysts to understand that seemingly irrational acts of violence are often not irrational to the perpetrators. The ability to empathise with individuals caught up in violent or conflict situations can help analysts to engage