tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200642784572014202024-03-06T12:02:22.124-08:00Defense UpdatesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-1465786948485072962015-04-30T02:00:00.000-07:002015-04-30T02:00:10.366-07:00India Changes Its Mind On RafaleAs previously anticipated, India has decided to go in another direction with regards to the acquisition of Rafale fighter aircraft from France. It was originally planned to acquire 126 Rafale, 18 delivered straight from France and the remaining aircraft were to be produced locally under license in India.
Negotiations since 2012 have failed to produce an agreement and India now plans to purchase Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-58273767819603241752015-03-31T02:00:00.000-07:002015-03-31T04:08:47.731-07:00Shaanxi Y30 and Y9 Military Transport Aircraft in ChinaThe Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation displayed the turboprop Y-30, a new medium transport aircraft, in model form at the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow. The Y-30 would succeed the current Shaanxi Y-9, which in turn succeeded the Y-8 in Chinese service.
Back in the late nineties when China first announced a replacement for the Y-8, the planned aircraft was known as the Y-8X. Over time this new aircraft Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-64978955393804718242015-02-28T02:00:00.000-08:002015-02-28T02:00:01.309-08:00Egypt Is The First Buyer of French Rafale and the Second of FREMM FrigateEgypt has agreed to buy 24 Rafale fighter aircraft from France, ending the French quest to find the first export customer for the Rafale which had its first flight all the way back in 1986.
Prior to this, France had lost in several countries against fighter aircraft from other countries, such as the F-16, Typhoon and the Gripen. This includes countries such as Morocco and Brazil where it had Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-84354934176546653332015-01-05T02:00:00.000-08:002015-01-05T02:00:02.210-08:00China's Gongji GJ-1 / Wing Loong UAV In Service and Equipped With Satellite Guided Glide BombAt the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow, the Wing Loong or Pterodactyl Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from AVIC was again displayed. However, unlike in Zhuhai Airshow 2012, this time the display model carried the official emblems and insignia of the Chinese Air Force.
This confirms that the Wing Loong UAV has now entered service in China as the unit was pulled from service with number 76024. At the airshow, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-36170315815297771372014-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-31T02:00:00.296-08:00India Opts For Western Suppliers When It Comes To Anti-Submarine WarfareThe Indian Navy has selected the S-70B SeaHawk over the NH Industries NH90 NFH. India will start negotiations to purchase 16
multi-role S-70B helicopters with an option for eight more, including logistics support and training.
A final contract has yet to be agreed upon, but is estimated to be worth around $1 billion. Once completed, the acquisition will fix a significant weakness in the Indian Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-19322671005828647632014-11-30T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-02T08:16:05.853-08:00Norinco Red Arrow 12 / HJ-12 Multi-Purpose Missile SystemThe latest addition to the Red Arrow missile family from Norinco, the multi-purpose Red Arrow 12 / HJ-12 is comparable to the American FGM-148 Javelin. The HJ-12 can be operated by a single person or mounted on vehicles.
Using its fire-and-forget mode, the HJ-12 can guide itself autonomously towards the designated target. This removes a key weakness in comparison to previous generations, which Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-37398408463900433742014-10-28T02:00:00.000-07:002014-10-28T02:00:07.968-07:00Brazil Signs Contract to Purchase 36 Gripen E/F Fighter AircraftBrazil has signed the contract for the purchase of 36 Gripen E/F, the latest version of the JAS 39 Gripen from Sweden's SAAB. While Brazil had earlier reported that it had chosen the Gripen over other contenders such as the French Rafale and the American F-18, the signing of the contract worth around $5.4 billion makes it official.
This makes Brazil the first export customer of the Swedish Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-87930931221447612832014-09-30T02:00:00.000-07:002014-09-30T02:00:00.957-07:00South Korea to Buy 40 F-35A CTOL Fighter AircraftThe Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has announced that South Korea will buy 40 F-35 fighter aircraft. South Korea is the third country to acquire the F-35 after Israel and Japan, besides the United States and eight other countries that are part of the F-35 program.
A contract is expected to be signed soon and will be worth 7.3 trillion South Korean won or about $7 billion for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-1595831721145321112014-08-31T02:00:00.000-07:002014-08-31T02:00:02.849-07:00First P-15A / Kolkata Class Destroyer Commissioned in IndiaThe Indian Navy has commissioned the first of its latest P-15A class destroyer, the INS Kolkata. Two more, the INS Kochi and INS Chennai, have been launched to make a total of three units for the P-15A class, with the P-15B class in the works.
The P-15A class has been plagued by numerous delays and cost overruns. The Kolkata itself was laid down back in 2003 and launched in 2006. This gives the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-91776141132321391692014-07-31T02:00:00.000-07:002014-07-31T02:00:03.118-07:00Qatar Commits to Patriot SAM Batteries, Javelin Missiles and Apache Attack HelicoptersQatar has committed itself towards purchasing over $11 billion worth of arms from the United States. Around $7 billion will be spent on Patriot Surface-to-Air Missile Air Defense Systems, another $3 billion on Apache attack helicopters and the remainder towards Javelin anti-tank missiles.
Around 10 batteries of Patriots with over 350 missiles are expected to be delivered and will include both Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-64606776805249352332014-06-30T02:00:00.000-07:002014-06-30T02:00:04.941-07:00Sweden Opts For New Gripen E Fighter Aircraft Instead of Remanufactured OnesThe Swedish parliament has voted in favor of amending the existing contract for the delivery of 60 Gripen E fighter aircraft. Originally, the aircraft were to be converted from existing Gripen C currently used. The Swedish Air Force will now receive completely new aircraft instead of remanufactured ones.
This change comes shortly after the Gripen program suffered a setback when the public Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-7060531438499895322014-05-31T02:00:00.000-07:002014-05-31T02:00:00.903-07:00UK Launches Third Astute Class SubmarineArtful, the third of the Astute class of nuclear attack submarines, has been launched and is expected to be commissioned in 2015. The previous two submarines, Astute and Ambush, were commissioned in 2010 and 2013 respectively.
The Royal Navy will have a total of seven Astute class submarines. The remaining four, Audacious, Anson, Agamemnon and Ajax, are expected to be commissioned between 2018 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-16220875060540957392014-04-29T02:00:00.000-07:002014-04-29T05:32:36.161-07:00Australia Opts For 58 Additional F-35 Fighter AircraftAustralia has decided that it will purchase 58 additional F-35A fighter aircraft on top of the 14 it had already approved to buy earlier. While not a firm contract, this bring the total number of F-35 aircraft it has committed to buy to 72.
While this number is still less than the 100 Australia had originally planned to buy when it became one of the eight partner countries in the F-35 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-33715115439881252542014-03-31T02:00:00.000-07:002014-07-30T16:27:35.046-07:00Qatar Buys Boeing 737 AEW&C, AH-64E and NH-90 HeicoptersQatar continues to strengthen its armed forces with new acquisitions worth over $20 billion. The latest deals includes three airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems mounted on Boeing 737 aircraft, making it the fourth country to select the type after Australia, South Korea and Turkey.
The aircraft were originally developed for Australia under project Wedgetail and feature a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-19076562967260592692014-03-05T02:00:00.000-08:002014-03-05T02:00:00.451-08:00Brazil Buys Swedish RBS 70 VSHORAD Missile SystemSweden's SAAB has signed a $12 million contract for the delivery of the RBS 70 Very Short Range Air Defense (VSHORAD) missile system to Brazil starting this year. This makes Brazil the nineteenth country where the RBS 70 will enter service.
The purchase is another win for Sweden and comes after Brazil had previously selected Sweden's Gripen as its preferred choice for fighter aircraft over Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-48753347036927705622014-02-22T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-22T02:00:06.700-08:00Philippines Agrees on Deal to Buy 12 FA-50 Fighter Aircraft From South KoreaSouth Korea and the Philippines have agreed on a $422 million deal for the purchase of twelve FA-50 light fighter aircraft. Barring any unforeseen issues, an actual contract could be signed a few weeks from now in March.
A deal for the FA-50 had been hoped for as early as last year, but a deal could not be agreed upon due to differences on the terms of the contract. A natural disaster in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-38669386371704238922014-02-21T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-21T02:00:03.832-08:00Saudi Arabia Orders Armored Vehicles and Proceeds With Typhoon Fighter AircraftAfter several years of finding the right candidate, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS), the Canadian division of general Dynamics from the United States, has received a $10 billion contract from Saudi Arabia for armored vehicles. With options included, the contract increases by another $3 billion.
The vehicles are to be a new design, but in order to enter production in 2016, the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-62087301423478552002014-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-07T02:00:05.677-08:00Russia Starts Upgrading Project 1144.2 Orlan (Kirov Class) Missile CruisersAfter some delay, Russia has begun upgrading the Admiral Nakhimov, one of its Project Missile 1144.2 Orlan (Kirov class) nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers at the Sevmash shipyard. There are a total of four Project 1144.2 cruisers:
the Admiral Ushakov, commissioned as the Kirov in 1980
the Admiral Lazarev, commissioned as the Frunze in 1984
the Admiral Nakhimov, commissioned as the Kalinin Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-72205092779510984552014-01-30T02:00:00.000-08:002014-01-30T02:00:05.770-08:00Oman Buys NASAMS Air Defense SystemOman has signed a $1.28 billion contract for the purchase of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). It was selected over a competing offer from Europe's MBDA and included in the contract are ground support equipment, training and technical support.
The short-to-medium range surface-to-air missile defense system is able to defend against a range of aerial threats such as Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-85270132380854091272014-01-24T02:00:00.000-08:002014-01-24T02:00:02.200-08:00China Building Additional Aircraft CarriersAccording to several Chinese media reports, Wang Min, the Communist Party leader of the province Liaoning stated that the port city of Dalian in his province is now building an aircraft carrier for the Chinese Navy with at least two more being planned.
Dalian is the place where the former Varyag or Liaoning, currently China's only aircraft carrier, was refurbished after being bought from the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-20313271278157758642014-01-08T02:00:00.000-08:002014-01-08T02:00:02.489-08:00Russia Commissions First Project 885 Yasen Class Nuclear SubmarineThe first Project 885 Yasen class (or Graney class) nuclear submarine has finally been commissioned in the Russian Navy, long after it was originally planned to enter service during the nineties. The Severodvinsk was laid down in 1993 with work continuing on and off over the next two decades.
The nineties saw the Russian Navy experience hard times due to financial difficulties which effected theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-26086240481988730422013-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:002014-01-07T15:56:25.236-08:00Type 032 Diesel-Electric Submarine in Chinese ServiceThe Type 032 class diesel-electric submarine has succeeded the Type 031 (Golf) class submarine as a test platform for weapons and other submarine technology in the Chinese Navy. A single unit with pennant number 201 was launched in 2010 and commissioned into service in 2012.
This makes it the largest conventionally powered submarine in naval service today with its maximum submerged displacement Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-85020004344476349422013-12-20T02:00:00.000-08:002013-12-20T02:00:11.019-08:00Brazil Selects Saab JAS39 Gripen E/F or NG Fighter AircraftBrazil has selected Saab's Gripen E/F or Gripen NG from Sweden for its F-X2 program and will now begin contract negotiations for 36 aircraft, worth an estimated $4.5 billion. That is expected to last one year, followed by deliveries after four years.
The contract is expected to include technology transfer that Brazil is looking for to allow for instance the integration of Brazilian missiles andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-79835373697481406102013-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:002013-12-13T02:00:09.728-08:00Iraq Buys 24 F/A-50 / T-50IQ Aircraft From South KoreaSouth Korea has sold Iraq 24 F/A-50 light multi-role aircraft for about $1.1 billion to be delivered in 2015 and 2016. Another contract to be signed later for related training and other services could raise the value to $2.1 billion.
The F/A-50 was selected over the Hawk 128, Yak 130 and L-159 and is the first time the type has been exported after entering service earlier with South Korea. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820064278457201420.post-30955488017855274912013-12-09T02:00:00.000-08:002013-12-09T02:00:01.757-08:00Possible Sale of Over 15000 TOW Missiles to Saudi ArabiaThe Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified the United States Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) for Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) 2A/2B Radio Frequency (RF)
Missiles to Saudi Arabia, which includes:
9650 BGM-71 2A TOW RF missiles
4145 BGM-71 2B TOW Aero RF missiles
91 TOW-2A Fly-to-Buy
missiles
49 TOW-2B Fly-to-Buy missiles
The contract Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0