Middle East / Africa * As happens periodically, Russia is again making noises about (French) selling S-300 anti-air missiles (or the rebadged Antey-2500 variant) to Iran. The last two times such sounds emanated from Moscow, Russia was able to use the prospect as a...
Electronics & IT Articles
Israel Gets Fire Sale Deal on F-35s, Upping Numbers | Germany to Lithuania: No Tanks for You
Middle East / Africa * Israel will order another 14 F-35s for $110 million a piece, including logistical support, training, parts and maintenance, which appears to be a much better price than the U.S. itself has been able to manage. The 14 fighters will join an...
India’s Project 17-A Stealth Frigates
FFG Talwar Class(click to view full) In July 2006, "India Orders 3 More Krivak III/Talwar Class Frigates" noted that the Talwar/Krivak Class were better described as modern multi-role designs, given the presence of contemporary classes with far better stealth...
Russia Halting Torpedo Production Due to Loss of Ukraine Facilities | Lockheed Joins Raytheon for JSTARS Competition
Europe * Russia has stopped torpedo production because of a reliance on a Ukrainian manufacturer. Deputy Prim Minister Dmitry Rogozin admitted (Polish) as much. Rogozin is putting the task to a Caspian Sea manufactory in Dagdizel to start producing the parts, but...
F-35 Mission Software Needs Some Debugging, Cost-Cutting Process Working Around the Edges
The F-35 needs some code rewrites before it can be released as initially combat ready, according to the head of Lockheed's aeronautics division. The radar tracking parts of the mission systems software had problems, but the Lockheed executive said the problem was...
Germans and Canadians Swap Tanks in Logistical Ballet | U.S. Army Delivers Counter-Mortar Radar to Ukraine
In a clever game of resource swapping, Germany is now receiving 20 Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks in return for having lent a number of Leopard 2 A6M tanks to Canada for its immediate needs in the Afghanistan deployment. Canada, as promised, procured 20 Leopards from...
Air Force: We Like CAS Plenty; F-35 Not So Bad | Finland Spurns Russian Offer for Defense Contract Quid Pro Quo
Mark Welsh, the Air Force's chief of staff, joined other brass in proclaiming continued desire to perform the close air support mission. Welsh himself was an A-10 pilot in the early 1980s. The Air Force has been simultaneously fighting the impression that it wants to...
Russia Wins Back China Deal By Annexing Pesky Shipyard
Ukraine's deal to sell Zubr hovercrafts made by the Feodosiya Shipyard to China was going along, with two of the landing craft delivered. There were disputes between it and Russia's Almaz Shipbuilding about who owned the design (the craft does appear similar to the...
Russia ‘Mad Maxes’ Its Ilyushins, Snarls | Air Force Wants to Disown A-10, Keep CAS Mission
Russia's Ilyushin aircraft company is testing out the mounting of bomb rails onto its Il-76MD transport aircraft. War Is Boring reports that Russia intends to field them in Tver, Orenburg, Pskov and Taganrog, conveniently close to potential future conquests. The idea...

