* The WSJ notes that it's been a big diplomatic week for China, with deals with Australia, South Korea and the US. * But at the same time Russia and China agreed to conduct joint naval exercises not just in the Pacific, but also in the Mediterranean next year, reports...
* Mac Thornberry [R-TX] was selected [Breaking Defense] by the Republican steering committee to chair the House Armed Services Committee. He had been seen as the contender most likely to succeed retiring chairman Buck McKeon. Randy Forbes [R-VA] was also interested in...
EC135(click to view full) Australia's 25-year, A$ 600 million Project AIR 9000 Phase 7 – Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) will replace the Navy's Airbus AS350BA Ecureuils, and the Army's Bell 206-B1 Kiowa fleet, with 15 new Airbus EC135 T2+ helicopters. The...
* Vladimir Putin is losing [Time] even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who pointed out [WSJ] during a speech in Sydney how Russian meddling is extending far beyond Ukraine: "This is not just about Ukraine. This is about Moldova, this is about Georgia, and if this...
* The US Navy's NAVSEA command published the 2nd edition [PDF] of its 2013-18 business plan, whose 1st version was released in October last year. The main addition is the appearance of cybersecurity among mission priorities. NAVSEA accounts for about a quarter of the...
No S-70i(click to view full) Sikorsky's demurral in Poland's $3 billion utility helicopter competition comes as a bit of a shock. Sikorsky has deep roots in Poland, and their PZL Mielec subsidiary has served as the S-70i Black Hawk helicopter's global center for...
* Russian President Putin is bracing [FT] for a "catastrophic" slump in oil prices as he arrived at this year's G20 summit in Australia. 4 Russian naval vessels are also on their way to Australia, which is Putin's answer to Tony Abbott's shirtfronting posture...
* The White House finally withdrew [Navy Times] the nomination of Jo Ann Rooney as the US Navy's Undersecretary, after a year in limbo [Next Navy]. The Administration will have to nominate people whose qualifications don't seem such a stretch for the job [CDR...
KAI's KA-1(click to view full) In November 2012, Peru signed a $200 million contract with South Korea for turboprop trainers and light attack aircraft. The deal involves 10 of its KT-1 trainers, which have also been exported to Turkey and Indonesia, and 10 KA-1 armed...