* Is ISIL operating jets, as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims? There's a Youtube video purportedly showing a jet landing at an ISIS-controlled base, but USCENTOM says they haven't seen any evidence. * This is a head-scratcher. Iraq floundered against a...
New dawn?(click to view full) Implementation of Britain's "future contracting for availability" approach of paying for machines in service, rather than parts and hours, generally involves a phased set of contracts and agreements. As each party's understanding the...
* US Army Acquisition Undersecretary Heidi Shyu described her service's modernization efforts as approaching a "death spiral." That it not just the type of anti-sequestration rethoric we've grown used to, as Shyu sounds genuinely frustrated with the amount of...
* Germany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has been advising defense manufacturers to diversify as exports to unsavory regimes would be put under increased scrutiny. With a mid-year report he's delivered on promises to increase transparency and timeliness in...
Argentine C-130s(click to view full) Latin American air forces operate a wide variety of equipment, but American aircraft still play a prominent role. Some are new, but as one might expect in a region with constrained military budgets, many air forces are flying aging...
* US top brass say that ISIL is winning its way to defeat [Politico]. * WaPo: Serious disagreements remain in U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State. * RAND Corporation is attempting to draw lessons from 13 years of war and recommends a similar...
RFS Steregushchy(click to view full) Our reader survey is in your email box, and we really want to hear from you because we have great readers. Back on Sept 18/14, Daily Rapid Fire said: "Russian Prime Minister Medvedev gave government backing [Moscow Times] to loans...
* Back in January Global Times wrote about work reportedly underway in China to build destroyer-sized patrol ships. Back then Chuck Hill speculated [CIMSEC] that such big ships could be used for more offensive purposes. China Defense Blog has purported pictures of the...
VBCI(click to view full) Many European countries are abandoning tracked APCs entirely, for good or ill, and France is joining that trend by replacing its existing tracked AMX-10Ps with the 8x8 wheeled Vehicule Blinde de Combat d'Infanterie (Armored Infantry Combat...