Month: August 2018

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER TO INK CONTRACT FOR 12 SU-57 SOON

Source: The Diplomat By Franz-Stefan Gady The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) is expected to sign a contract for a pre-production batch of 12 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft, Russia’s first indigenously designed and built fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a major Russian aerospace and defense company, this week, according to the… Continue reading RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER TO INK CONTRACT FOR 12 SU-57 SOON

THE US IS BUILDING A DRONE BASE IN NIGER THAT WILL COST MORE THAN $280 MILLION BY 2024

Source: The Intercept By Nick Turse A U.S. drone base in a remote part of West Africa has garnered attention for its $100 million construction price tag. But according to new projections from the Air Force, its initial cost will soon be dwarfed by the price of operating the facility — about $30 million a… Continue reading THE US IS BUILDING A DRONE BASE IN NIGER THAT WILL COST MORE THAN $280 MILLION BY 2024

PHILLIPPINES EYEING SUBMARINES HELICOPTERS AND SMALL ARMS BUY FROM RUSSIA

Source: Defence World Philippines is holding negotiations with Russia for the possible purchase of Project 636 conventional submarines, helicopter equipment and small arms, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev has said. “We are holding talks not only on this [submarines]. In general, we are now discussing the format of further work with the Philippines,” Alexander Mikheyev was… Continue reading PHILLIPPINES EYEING SUBMARINES HELICOPTERS AND SMALL ARMS BUY FROM RUSSIA

WHITE HOUSE REJECTS TURKEY’S OFFER FOR PASTOR’S RELEASE

Source: CNN By Caroline Kelly The White House has rejected a Turkish offer to release an American pastor in exchange for forgiveness of billions of dollars in US fines on a Turkish bank, expressing that other matters would be considered only after Andrew Brunson is released, a senior administration official told The Wall Street Journal.… Continue reading WHITE HOUSE REJECTS TURKEY’S OFFER FOR PASTOR’S RELEASE

FIRST INDIAN SUBMARINES LAUNCHED MISSILE IS OPERATIONAL

Source: The New Indian Express Making its mark as a military superpower in South East Asia region, India has finally operationalised its first home-grown nuclear capable Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), after nearly two decades of its development. Kept under wraps for several years and inducted in the Navy a couple of months ago, the… Continue reading FIRST INDIAN SUBMARINES LAUNCHED MISSILE IS OPERATIONAL

HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH SETTING SAIL FOR FOUR MONTHS OF F-35B TRIALS OFF US COAST

Source: Naval Today Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to get underway from HMNB Portsmouth on Saturday for her first-of-class F-35B flight trials. The deployment is dubbed Westlant 18 and will see the carrier spend four months off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States with the aim of developing the operating… Continue reading HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH SETTING SAIL FOR FOUR MONTHS OF F-35B TRIALS OFF US COAST

WHY ERDOGAN’S SO QUIET ABOUT TURKISH EXPANSION IN AFRICA

Source: Al-Monitor By Pinar Tremblay As the diplomatic tug-of-war between the United States and Turkey escalates, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is lining up new friends. In early August, Erdogan’s 100-day action plan identified new markets in China, Mexico, India and Russia. It did not mention Africa, despite the “African continent opening” Erdogan sought in… Continue reading WHY ERDOGAN’S SO QUIET ABOUT TURKISH EXPANSION IN AFRICA

TONGA, A NEW ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHINA’S DEBT TRAP

Source: Geopolitical Futures By Jacob L. Shapiro Tonga, a small island nation with a population of just 107,000 and GDP of $426 million, has found itself at the center of the power struggle between China and the West in the South Pacific. The country is heavily indebted to Beijing – to the tune of 24… Continue reading TONGA, A NEW ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHINA’S DEBT TRAP

JAPAN IN TALKS TO SELL PATROL PLANE TECH TO GERMANY AND FRANCE

Source: NIKKEI Aiming to boost defense-related exports, Japan has entered into talks with the German and French governments to provide parts and technology for a patrol aircraft the European countries are developing together. Germany and France use surveillance planes, mainly to monitor Russian submarines. Less reliant than the archipelago nation of Japan on the aircraft,… Continue reading JAPAN IN TALKS TO SELL PATROL PLANE TECH TO GERMANY AND FRANCE