Jane's Defense News

NINETEEN people were killed and 143 others were wounded in two suicide bombings, minutes apart, targeting a market and a military camp in the town of Kerawa in Cameroon's Extreme Nord region on 3 September, Reuters reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although

US communications company Telephonics plans to increase its investment in an Indian joint venture (JV) it operates with Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), it was announced on 5 September. In a statement, Telephonics said it will boost its stake in Mahindra Telephonics Integrated Systems (MTIS) from

The Royal Thai Navy's (RTN's) first M58 patrol boat has been launched, Thai shipbuilder Marsun confirmed to IHS Jane's on 7 September. The boat, Laemsing (561), was launched on 25 August at the RTN-owned Thonburi Naval Dockyard in Bangkok, Marsun's head of marketing Theerabhat Sroisena told IHS

Ukraine is working with NATO on a new 'roadmap' for wide-ranging technical co-operation in the defence sector between the two parties, according to the country's foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin. The co-operation could take the form of new trust funds or direct liaison with NATO, he said. Speaking

Australian firm Mincham Aviation has been awarded a contract by Northrop Grumman to manufacture parts and components for the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Mincham Aviation confirmed to IHS Jane's that the company has been awarded a contract to supply structural

EVENT Local workers of China Jiangxi International Kenya involved in the construction of the Muruny-Siyoi dam in Pokot, western Kenya, went on strike over what they termed "harsh working conditions" on 3 September. The action follows August's disruptions at the same construction site

EVENT On 2 September, 18 construction workers (17 of whom were Turkish nationals) were reported to have been abducted in Sadr City. The workers were employed at a project for the construction of a sports stadium in Habiba. According to the Iraqi news site, al-Mada press, the attackers wore

Fighting between insurgents and the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) has intensified in Musa Qala, one of a number of districts in northern Helmand province that temporarily fell to the insurgency in late August. Afghan media first reported heavy fighting in Musa Qala on 24

The Royal Australian Navy ANZAC-class frigate HMAS Ballarat has completed dock work related to the Project SEA 1448 Phase 2 Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade and will be commencing sea trials with its newly installed equipments, BAE Systems Australia announced on 2 September. The upgrades

Boeing may be laying off potentially hundreds of employees, according to a Reuters report. The company would have notified employees on 31 August, according to Reuters. Boeing representatives did not immediate return calls requesting comment. Those employees are tied to Boeing's satellite business,

China placed its latest satellite in orbit on 27 August, carried by a Long March 4C rocket launched from the Taiyuan satellite launch centre in northern China. Yaogan-27 was described by Chinese media as a remote sensing satellite to be used for land surveys, crop yield forecasts, and disaster

EVENT Guatemala's national congress yesterday (1 September) voted to remove President Otto Pérez Molina's immunity from prosecution, the first time in Guatemalan history that such a move has been made. According to investigations carried out by the UN-backed International Commission Against

International ratings agency Fitch has reported that it "expects" Italian defence technologies group Finmeccanica to sell its 25% stake in pan-European missile systems house MBDA to co-owners BAE Systems and Airbus Group. BAE Systems and Airbus both hold a 37.5% ownership in MBDA, which

Israel Military Industries (IMI) has announced that it is now marketing its MPR-500 bomb internationally. The weapon is already in service with the Israeli Air Force, which used it during Operation 'Protective Edge' against militants in the Gaza Strip in 2014. The MPR-500 has the same form as a

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved programmes worth nearly INR140 billion (USD 2.2 billion) for all three services on 1 September. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the Indian Air Force (IAF) to buy 48 more Mil Mi-17V5 'Hip' medium-lift helicopters for INR69.92 billion and seven

Denmark is offering to Indonesia a programme to jointly develop and produce radar systems in a bid to secure additional sales in the market, it has emerged. The Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 1 September that Denmark has outlined a potential programme to transfer technologies to

Indonesia is discussing with Moscow the terms of a USD3 billion loan to support its acquisition of Russian military equipment, according to a senior member of the Indonesian House of Representatives' (DPR's) defence commission. Citing Tubagus Hasanuddin, vice-chairman of the defence commission,

Lockheed Martin has been contracted to deliver Block 3F software for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter for the US and UK militaries. The USD311.4 million contract announced by the Department of Defense (DoD) on 1 September covers delivery of the aircraft's full combat software to the US

Nordic defence munitions and missile propulsion products group Nammo announced on 1 September that it had established a subsidiary in Poland. The group - owned 50:50 by Finnish land systems group Patria and the government of Norway - said that the establishment of the Polish business meant that it

Russia is to begin production of a new helicopter that will be capable of speeds of up to 270 kt (500 km/h; 310 mph) in the early part of the next decade, state media reported on 1 September. Development of the high-speed helicopter is progressing well, with a prototype expected to make its maiden