Jane's Defense News

The Mexican Air Force (FAM) plans to continue operating the Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II for the foreseeable future, and hopes to modernise the fleet and increase its availability. A FAM source told IHS Jane's the current F-5 fleet of 10 aircraft comprises only seven planes, including two twin-seat

In the capital Abuja, the Niger Delta Peoples Professional Volunteer Force threatened to launch an IED attack on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Towers if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) went ahead to arrest former First Lady, Patience Jonathan over the USD15m

In Khost province, National Directorate of Security (NDS) claimed to have arrested a suspected suicide organiser and alleged would-be suicide attacker who were planning to target security forces during Eid-ul-Azha

Congress has yet to reach an agreement on a simple stop-gap funding measure to keep the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the wider federal government funded when fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) begins on 1 October. The funding would mainly be at the current year's levels and lawmakers have been aiming

Saab Defense and Security USA has won the race to provide US Navy (USN) aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships with a new shipboard air traffic control (SATC) radar. The company was on 21 September announced as the recipient of a USD38 million Engineering and Manufacturing Development

Key Points A JSTARS RfP is 'on hold' while the USAF works with Congress on contract terms The USAF has been using a so-called hybrid contracting approach during the programme's EMD stage The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) request for proposals (RfP) is "on hold"

Key Points The USAF is preparing to conduct experiments with light-attack aircraft that could augment its CAS capabilities Unlike the heavily armoured A-10, such an aircraft would be used only in permissive environments The US Air Force (USAF) is preparing to conduct experiments with light-attack

The US State Department has approved the sale of four KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft, with related equipment and support, to Japan for an estimated cost of USD1.9 billion. The sale was approved under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, and includes one additional spare Pratt &Whitney

China has been flight testing a new variant of its J-15 navalised fighter modified for catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) operations, according to images posted on Chinese online forums. Released on 15 September, the images show a Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-15 in

Sweden has resigned itself to buying the 24 Archer (6x6) self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) originally meant to be bought by Norway, budget documents released on 20 September reveal. In total the budget proposal assigns SEK450 million (USD53 million) to the purchase, of which the bulk is new money and

Eight days of exercises involving ships, aircraft, submarines, and marines from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Russian Federation Navy (RFN) culminated in a simulated assault to seize an island off the Chinese coast using amphibious forces. Chinese and Russian marines practised an

Two US Air Force (USAF) Boeing (Rockwell) B-1B Lancer strategic bombers flew over South Korea on 21 September in the latest demonstration of Washington's defence commitment to Seoul following North Korea's fifth nuclear test on 9 September, according to US Forces Korea (USFK). While one of the

The Philippine Navy's recently commissioned strategic sealift vessel (SSV), BRP Tarlac (601), has sustained damage to its bow section after a collision, the service's public affairs confirmed with IHS Jane's on 21 September. The 123 m landing platform dock (LPD)-like ship was anchored off Naval

Key Points DARPA is seeking a small UAS capable of air launch and recovery from a C-130 The idea is to operate an SUAS in airspaces that current systems cannot penetrate General Atomics Aeronautical displayed its proposal for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) Gremlin

Proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies could put US military bases and nuclear facilities at risk, commander of US Air Force (USAF) Global Strike Command said on 19 September. "There is a UAV-capable threat out there to our homeland," he said during a press briefing

Key Points Fifteen F-35As grounded by crumbling insulation on avionics cooling lines will likely be fixed and able to fly again by the end of the year Lockheed Martin plans to cover all the costs Fifteen Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft grounded by crumbling insulation on

Rockwell Collins has demonstrated a new wideband high frequency (HF) communications capability that can provide non-satellite beyond line of sight (BLOS) communications. Brad Haselhorst, vice president, strategy and business development government systems for Rockwell Collins, told IHS Jane's at

Key Points The head of USAF Air Mobility Command is advocating speeding up acquisition of a technologically advanced KC-Z The USAF will begin a KC-Z technology study this year The head of US Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command is advocating speeding up acquisition of a more technologically

The National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan's primary intelligence agency, said in a statement on 19 September that its special operations forces raided an Al-Qaeda camp in the southeastern province of Zabul, killing at least five suspected militants. The units involved in the raid,

A group of civil servants working in the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has declared that they will not work on the department's naval acquisition programmes during the week starting 20 September, in a protest aimed at highlighting what it claims to be an ongoing loss of technical