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What are the implications of Moscow delivering S-300 air-defense systems to Syria, could one weapon system decide the outcome of the Syrian power struggle, is the Russian missile system as invincible as it is described? Alexey Eremenko from the Russian news agency Novosti provides some answers. Defense-Update reports. “The missile [...]

China’s first jet-powered stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the Lijian or “Sharp Sword,” was recently spotted undergoing taxiing tests in China.

Israel Shipyards is expanding the SAAR class of missile boats, extending the range from missile boats into ‘Mini Corvette’ class vessels. The new class is addressing the growing requirements of Israel and other nations in extending maritime control and sovereignty far from their territorial waters. Defense-Update reports from IMDEX 2013. [...]

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia May 14, 2013. “Today we saw a small, but significant pixel in the future picture of our Navy as we begin integration of [...]

Changi Naval Base, Singapore: 15 warships from nine countries around the world, including the latest patrol vessels, frigates, corvettes and destroyers, sailed into Singapore for the Warships Display at IMDEX Asia 2013 this week. The US Navy’s first ever littoral combat ship, USS Freedom, in its maiden overseas deployment, was [...]

Dealings between KBR and the Army have gotten “very nasty” as the two try to close out the largest government services contract in U.S. history, according to an article in Federal Times. The dispute is over whether the remaining work in the $38 billion Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) III [...]

Some European countries may consider an Israeli made unmanned air system (UAS) as a platform for a “Black program” to create a European medium-altitude/long-endurance (MALE) armed UAS, i-hls reports. This is the assessment of European sources familiar with the advanced Israeli made UAS. According to Aviation Week, frustrated by apparent [...]

The UAE is getting ready to face the Iranian threat. Jobaria Defense Systems (JDS) Multiple Cradle Launcher MCL has unveiled its Multiple Cradle 122mm Rocket launcher system at the recent IDEX defense expo in the UAE. i-hls reports. The MCL is A 10 wheel semitrailer mounting four power-operated rocket launchers, [...]

Two major French defense companies, GIAT Industries and SNPE will be merging into a singleventity. The two companies are both owned by the French state, which supports the move. The mergerv will retain the activities, strategies and customer base of each company. By unifying complimentary activities the merged company will [...]

RAFAEL is unveiling at IMDEX 2013 a new missile-carrying variants of the Typhoon marine stabilized weapon system. Defense-Update reports from IMDEX Asia 2013. Two systems – MLS-ER and MLS-NLOS represent two modular evolutions of the combat proven Typhoon, enhancing the operational capabilities of small and medium naval crafts, responding to [...]

RAFAEL is unveiling new missile-carrying variants of the Typhoon marine stabilized weapon system at IMDEX 2013. Two systems – MLS-ER and MLS-NLOS represent two modular evolutions of the combat proven Typhoon, enhancing the operational capabilities of small and medium naval crafts, responding to evolving requirements of navies facing new asymmetric [...]

As domestic economies change into a global market, dependent on the ocean for energy, food and transportation, the open seas becoming contested areas, and pirates, outlaws and terrorists using isolated littorals as safe haven, prowling waterways and the open sea along international merchant routes, no wonder that governments are looking [...]

Fighting modern warfare doesn’t mean you face the most sophisticated weapons or strongest enemies. In fact, combat in asymmetric warfare means facing an illusive enemy that, sometime can be equipped with superior weapons, challenging even the strongest armor and most sophisticated platforms. This article addresses countermeasures to a different type [...]

Exhibitors and delegates at the ninth International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX Asia) will have the opportunity to meet more key players from international navies, coast guards and maritime agencies as the biennial exhibition is set to host the highest number ever of Navy Chiefs from all over the [...]

Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory flew their fuel cell powered Ion Tiger UAV for 48 hours and 1 minute on April 16-18 by using liquid hydrogen fuel in a new, NRL-developed, cryogenic fuel storage tank and delivery system. This flight shatters their previous record of 26 hours and [...]

An Italian built M-346 jet trainer crashed yesterday on a flight over Italy. The aircraft manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi said the single pilot that flew the twin-engine jet is in a good condition after ejecting from the plane designated CMX617 yesterday, after taking off from taking off from Turin-Caselle airport. The [...]

One week has passed since the attacks near Damascus, which according to American sources destroyed advanced Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missiles making their way from Iran to Hizbollah in Lebanon. Now that the dust has settled and it seems as if the strike was contained – there was no immediate response either [...]

New materials promise improvements in the weight of body armor, but are unproven—and an alternative approach to the problem involves looking at whether some current systems are stronger and heavier than necessary. i-hls reports. Technological progress tends to be incremental, but the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) hopes to [...]

Carter said the US has established an integrated effort to in understanding the anti-satellite threat, and preparing a work plan on how the US can operate without spacecraft,” Carter told reporters at the National Press Club. i-hls reports. Carter said the initiative was looking at how to make U.S. military and [...]

Last week Iran unveiled its latest drone dubbed “Hamaseh”. This unmanned aerial vehicle follows a classic twin-boom tail design, pioneered by IAI’s Scout and Tadiran Mastiff in the 1980s. On the My 9, 2013 unveiling ceremony the drone was shown carrying two 107mm rockets and what seems to be an [...]

Few months ago Texas based Defense Distributed had an idea – to produce weapon accessories using new 3D printing technology. It started with ‘printed magazines’ for AK47 made of from ABS, a thermoplastic material processed into net-shape form by 3D printers. Each magazine sells for $47. A more complex system [...]

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has developed an ultra-strength steel of high fracture toughness that is significantly less expensive to manufacture than existing products. The new material also has high fracture toughness, particularly during stress corrosion cracking in salt water, making it applicative for the manufacturing of critical parts auch as [...]

The U.S. Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator performed its first arrested landing at Patuxent River, Naval Air Station in Maryland, on May 4. The landing using arresting gear was a key step in maturing the system for its upcoming carrier-based tests later this month. The X-47B is [...]

The handset maker announced that its Knox-enabled mobile devices have been approved by the Pentagon for government use. Samsung’s Knox software offers high-level encryption, a VPN feature, and a way to separate personal data from work data. The software also enables IT administrators to manage a mobile device through specific [...]

The Royal Navy conducted a test firing of Harpoon anti-ship missile from HMS Montrose at the Scottish exercise areas in the Northern sea.

Positioned to be the largest defense expo in Israel, the 6th edition of ISDEF defence and security exhibition has become a summit of business and defence. Taking place in Tel Aviv exhibition center in June 4-6, 2013 the event is expected to host 250 exhibiting companies and 15,000 visitors from 60 countries.

American Industrial Systems (AIS) has launched a new line of marine PCs which come with rugged touch screen interface. the new touch PCs are designed to withstand the harsh maritime environment, has long-term vibration resilience and low sensitivity to electromagnetic interference (EMI). The new touch PCs are suitable for bridge [...]

A French M51 submarine launched ballistic missile malfunctioned during a test launch Sunday, and had to be destroyed while in flight, the Ministry of Defense said. It was the 6th flight test of the latest French strategic ballistic missile and the first involving the newly modernized ‘Vigilant’.

The recent escalation of tension in Syria comes at a time when the Assad regime, actively supported by the Iranians through their Lebanese proxy Hezbollah and backed by quiet nod from Moscow, is succeeding to turn the tide of repeated wins by the rebels. Until this turn, Sunni rebels were [...]

The Israeli Air Force (IAF)  has a proven capability to attack targets from standoff range. One such weapon is the Spice weapon guidance kit developed by the country’s leading missile developer RAFAEL. i-hls reports. The guidance kit has become more lethal and can now be used in a “variety” of attack [...]

Is this Syria’s “doomsday ” weapon? Intelligence sources say that the Syrian air force has adapted old Russian made MIG-21 fighter aircraft to fly unmanned and carry chemical warfare materials. This information is now being investigated by a number of intelligence organizations i-hls reports. A Syrian MiG-21, that landed in [...]

The fourth and final flight of the Boeing X-51A Waverider test program has accomplished a breakthrough in the development of flight reaching Mach 5.1 over the Pacific Ocean May 1. The WaveRider unmanned hypersonic vehicle traveled more than 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes over the Point Mugu Naval [...]

The US has enhanced its biggest bunker buster bomb specifically to enable the destruction of Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment plant near the city of Qom. 20 such bombs – the biggest and heaviest bomb in the US arsenal, will be delivered this year, following the completion of upgrades and testing.

France has recently published a white paper on defense, the ‘Livre Blanc’ outlines the priorities planned for the next five years, in the areas of national defense – land, air, maritime and space, as a well as as in the areas of homeland security and cyberwarfare. This article covers the [...]

Western companies active in the raw materials and energy fields operating from Mauritania to Chad, Algeria and Nigeria, are all exposed to growing terror threats south of the Sahara, even in countries previously considered safe for operations. Dangers are not limited only to the lawless Sahara area, but are expanding [...]

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Israeli companies were behind 41 percent of all UAVs exported in 2001-11. Those Israeli exports went to 24 countries, including the United States. i-hls reports. That volume’s expected to expand as production costs are relatively low. Israeli industry officials boast that it’s [...]

The US Air Force has been operating a globally deployed network of Rapid Attack Identification Detection Reporting Systems – satellite communications nodes that monitor civilian satellite communications signals and detecting the source of interference and jamming that could disrupt military communications dependent on those channels

The US Air Force is looking at equipping its General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft with British-developed Brimstone missiles, to reduce collateral damage. The Reapers flown by the US Air Force are currently employed with AGM-114R Hellfire ‘Romeo’ missiles and laser guided bombs. i-hls reports ALthough the AGM-114R has been [...]

A team of researchers from the Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are developing an insect sized robot that made its first flight last summer. Half the size of a paperclip, weighing less than a tenth of a gram, RoboBee inspired by the biology of a fly and conceived through manufacturing breakthrough and miniaturization.

The Russian Amphibious Support Ship Azov arrived yesterday at the port of Haifa, in northern Israel, on a three day visit, it is the first time a Russian warship calls at an Israeli port. Defense-Update reports. The Azov is one of six Russian naval vessels deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean, [...]

The IDF today called to service 2000 reservists in what is defined as a “sudden drill”. The reservists will be in northern Israel until the end of the week. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are on the highest alert today as the civil war in Syria moved to another “dangerous [...]

Elbit Systems will supply electro-optical observation and surveillance systems for the Brazilian border security program known as ‘SISFRON’. The systems will be supplied via Elbit Systems’ Brazilian subsidiary AEL Sistemas, starting in 2014

The Iron Curtain active protection system (APS) for protected vehicles has recently passed a successful test series on board an armored vehicle provided by BAE Systems for U.S. government testing. According to the company CEO Keith Brendley, the system is ready for integration on combat vehicles.

Israel received today the fifth Dolphin-Class submarine. “INS Rahav” will arrive in Israel during the course of 2013, upon the completion and installation of its relevant systems.

Warfighters pay a high price for lack of auditory protection, but often they consider such price justified, for it keeps them sharp to react quickly and effectively, thus staying alive in combat. Sharpening the warfighter’s hearing while while protecting them from short and long terms risks, next generation of hearing protection are expected soon at a battlefield near you…

Lt. General Christopher C. Bogdan, the Program Executive Officer outlined the achievements and hurdles of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in his testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services committee. While the program is now in a better shape, obstacles still remain, in software integration, affordability and future operating & support.

The French President Francois Hollande will release a long-awaited update to the nation’s defense strategy Monday. The new strategy is likely to address France’s role in the newly European defense policy, under the current fiscal stress, parallel to the diminishing presence of US forces in the continent.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has selected Gilat Satellite Networks’ SatTrooper-1000 military Manpack Satellite Communications (SATCOM) terminal to equip combat units with advanced, beyond line of sight tactical communications. I-HLS reports The new terminal communicates data, video and telephony at broadband speeds, via a satellite link, thus overcoming distance or interference [...]

The Danish Army has received five Armadillo type armored infantry fighting vehicles for testing. The Armadillo is one of several options considered by the Danish Army. Tests are expected to continue through the summer, leading to final selection in February 2014.