Archive: News & Articles

Former energy secretary Grant Shapps was appointed as the UK’s defence secretary on 31 August 2023 following the resignation of Ben Wallace, who had occupied the post since 2019 and has now decided to leave politics. Like his predecessor, Shapps is a strong advocate of spending more on defence. When he briefly ran for the […]

Leading British military trauma surgeons from Defence Medical Services and the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine have shared their skills with Ukrainian medical personnel, UK Strategic Command announced on 29 August 2023. Lieutenant Colonel James Baden, a specialist in reconstructive surgery following combat injury, led the UK team delivering training to six Ukrainian medical professionals. […]

Personnel from the participating nations of the Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (AUKUS) security partnership reported to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY&IMF) on 14 August 2023 in support of the pact’s Pillar One initiative, US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) reported the following day. Australia will acquire conventionally armed nuclear-powered […]

The US Army’s M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) are receiving a Collins Aerospace-provided upgrade that will deliver a significant uplift to their onboard power and thus their survivability and reliability, the RTX business announced on 15 August 2023. Under a USD 24 M (EUR 22 M) contract Collins Aerospace is producing and delivering electric generators with […]

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) has signed a contract through the International Fund for Ukraine for the delivery of counter-uncrewed aerial vehicle (C-UAV) systems to be donated to Ukraine, the company announced on 14 August 2023. The contract, which is valued at GBP 56 M (EUR 65.3 M), covers the delivery of several CORTEX Typhon […]

The Australian government is to build an aircraft coating facility at Newcastle Airport in Williamtown, New South Wales, to maintain the stealth of Australia’s fleet of F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 15 August. The new facility is being established in partnership with BAE Systems Australia, which is […]

The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced an additional security package for Ukraine valued at up to USD 200 M (EUR 183 M) on 14 August 2023. The package, the latest measure to assist Ukraine in repelling the Russian invasion of the country, includes critical munitions for US-provided Patriot air defence systems and High Mobility […]

The Royal Air Force (RAF) launched quick-reaction alert (QRA) Typhoon fighters to intercept two Russian long-range maritime patrol aircraft on the morning of 14 August 2023 as they transited within NATO’s northern air policing area, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported later that day. The Russian aircraft, a Tu-142 ‘Bear-F’ and a ‘Tu-142 Bear-J’, […]

Colorado-based Small-satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) has successfully launched and gained contact with CubeSats for the NASA Starling mission, parent company RTX announced on 14 August 2023. The NASA Starling mission is a technology demonstration aimed at proving the success of co-operative groups of spacecraft operating in an autonomous, synchronous […]

South Korean and US forces will conduct Exercise ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ – an annual joint, combined, and interagency event – from 21 to 31 August 2023, the US Navy (USN) press office has reported. The exercise is designed to strengthen the combined US/South Korean defence posture on the Korean Peninsula based on scenarios that reflect […]

Rheinmetall LUNA NG tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial systems (UASs) ordered by the German government as part of an extensive military aid package for Ukraine initiated in July 2023 will soon be operating in the country, Rheinmetall announced on 14 August. The order, which Rheinmetall says is worth a “low double-digit-million-euro amount”, will see the systems […]

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has continued to mobilise assets to help fight the wild fires that have swept through the Hawaiian island of Maui, for which US President Joe Biden approved a national disaster declaration on 10 August 2023. As of that date the US National Guard had activated 134 troops — including […]

The Romania Ministry of Defence (MApN) has cancelled the long-delayed EUR 1.2 Bn deal it had with France’s Naval Group to acquire four Gowind 2500 corvettes. According to the DefenseRomania website the decision was approved on 7 August and covers the whole process, meaning that a runner-up bid by Damen of the Netherlands will not […]

Babcock Australasia has established a new partnership with the University of Adelaide to accelerate Australia’s critical defence industry workforce as it gears up for the AUKUS submarine programme, the company announced on 4 August 2023. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlining a commitment to work more closely closely together was signed by Babcock managing director […]

Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Baykar has signed a comprehensive deal with state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) for the production of Bayraktar Akıncı high-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was announced on X (formerly Twitter) on 6 August 2023 by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, who stated, “With […]

The Ukrainian armed forces appear to have significantly damaged the Russian Ropucha-class landing ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak during an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) attack in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on the night of 3-4 August 2023. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed on the morning of 4 August that an attack carried out […]

As the Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoons flying NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission out of Ämari in Estonia ended their four-month deployment on 3 August 2023, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that the RAF fighters had intercepted 50 Russian aircraft and flown for a combined total of more than 500 hours. The […]

Twenty-three NATO allies have officially become Limited Partners of the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), which is preparing to make its initial investments later this year, the alliance announced on 1 August 2023. The NATO Innovation Fund, which is worth EUR 1 Bn, is the world’s first multi-sovereign venture capital fund and will invest in start-ups […]

The Czech Air Force has received its first two AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, the aircraft’s manufacturer, Bell, announced on 28 July 2023. The two AH-1Zs arrived at the 22nd Helicopter Air Force Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou on 26 July on a US Air Force C-17 airlifter. By mid-September the base will receive four more […]

Representatives from Northrop Grumman joined Rheinmetall, Lockheed Martin and German officials for a groundbreaking ceremony in Weeze, Germany, on 1 August 2023 to mark work on establishing a second centre fuselage integrated assembly line (IAL) with Rheinmetall AG for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The IAL will help meet increased demands for the fifth-generation fighter […]

The 33rd Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), held in Brisbane on 29 July 2023, saw the two countries further deepen their defence ties, including with a more extensive US military presence in Australia. The talks, which brought together US Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles […]