News Analysis

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 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 [...]

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.

A new Pentagon assessment of Iran’s military power maintains that in two years time, Iran could flight-test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the United States, given “sufficient foreign assistance”, is provided to Tehran.

A multi-billion arms deal offered by the US to key Middle-East allies bundles advanced fighter planes, strike weapons, radars and special mission aircraft, sold separately to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Convinces the UAE to increase the number of their Desert Falcons, instead of buying Rafale or Typhoons could derail European sales efforts in the region. Likewise, offerring radars and surplus USAF tankers to Israel would hurt Israeli efforts to soffer its own tankers, converted from commercial aircraft.

World military expenditure totalled $1.75 trillion in 2012, a fall of 0.5 per cent in real terms since 2011, according to figures released today by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The fall—the first since 1998—was driven by major spending cuts in the USA and Western and Central Europe, as [...]

North Korea’s enigmatic leader, Kim Jong-un, seems intent on taking tensions on the Korean Peninsula to unprecedented new heights with each passing day. After weeks of bombastic warmongering and public proclamations threatening to destroy the South and annihilate the United States, Pyongyang has now proclaimed that a “state of war” exists between the North and the South.

While the US administration openly stated confidence in its Ground Based Interceptors (GBI), research analysts from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) warn that such weapons may not be sufficient to protect from a deliberate attack launched by North Korea, since the current level of missile defense technology has not matured yet to the level enabling the defense systems to engage realistic-complex targets, or discriminate between real decoys and real warheads

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced yesterday the increase in the number of Ground Based Interceptors to be positioned in Alaska, and the planned deployment of a second TPY-2 radar to Japan, two immediate steps to better protect the United States of America from potential missile attacks from North Korea and Iran. The US is also scaling down the European Missile Defense program, by limiting the system’s interceptors against intercontinental ballistic missiles, a step that could pave the way for further agreements between Washington and Moscow.

“Assad continues to assert his control Syria’s chemical weapons, air force, and military hardware. Assad is making advance preparations to use chemical weapons. He did not give the order yet, but preparing for it.”

The Indian Ministry of Defense is about to introduce a major change in its defense procurement policy, giving a priority to local companies through rating ‘Buy and Make’ (Indian production of goods) as the top category for procurement. This ‘India First’ policy will provide first opportunity in all contracts to Indian companies, from the public and private sector, while placing procurement from foreign suppliers as the last option. Another move to exclude software and consulting services from offset list, is a fallout of the recent VVIP scandal.

The U.S. administration made the first steps in implementing export control reforms, by rebuilding the export control lists, moving less-sensitive items controlled by the State Department under the Department of Commerce, more efficiently equipped to maintain such activities.

Lt. General Benny Gantz, IDF Chief of Staff: “The chances of war against us in the visible future are low but there is a high probability of deterioration”

A report prepared by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) paints an overall positive picture for the F-35 program, as the restructured program irons out problems uncovered through testing

Toughened sanctions implemented by the UN dictated member states to inspect DPRK ships and air cargo suspected of carrying banned materials and tighten scrutiny of DPRK officials and institutions engaged in illicit activities.

means of giving the Pentagon some degree of autonomy in dealing with mandatory across-the-board spending cuts mandated under sequestration. Additional funding was also authorized for those military accounts that are likely to suffer the most during sequestration, such as operations and maintenance.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., and Boeing have signed a teaming agreement on Jan. 13, to submit a joint proposal in response to the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate solicitation for the Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) Phase 1 program.

Steam coming out of the cooling system at the heavy water production plant at Arak doesn’t indicate the reactor is active. This plant is expected to enter production by the first quarter of 2014. As this reactor “go critical”, Iran will cross the point of no return in the Iranian plutonium route.

The Japanese government has decided to allow domestic defense contractors to manufacture and export components for the aircraft. It is expected that Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited, IHI Corporation, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation will all have a hand in the production and maintenance of F-35 components. These business entities are expected to contribute to the manufacture of fuselage parts, radar systems, and engine components.

By morning of March 1, 2013 as mandatory budget cuts will take effect, the US DOD will enter a ruthless, potentially devastating cycle of budget cutting that will be further exacerbated with the planned cutbacks mandated by the sequester. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee Pentagon leaders said today [...]

Who is most likely to lead the rationalisation in the defense sector? As defense markets appearing to have entered a prolonged downturn, the biggest defense companies are employing strategies to delay negative effects by buying back shares, but they can’t do that forever…

RAFAEL Advanced Defence Systems faces an uphill battle convincing foreign customers as successful and capable as Iron Dome, simply because very few face the situation Israel has to cope with, targeted by tens of thousands of rockets constantly aimed at its population centers. When pitching Iron Dome abroad, RAFAEL is likely to focus on the system’s air defense capabilities, promising to be as impressive as its C-RAM combat record

With the world’s largest armies (except China and India) have ceased procurement of Main Battle Tanks (MBT), third world countries are becoming more dominant customers for this weapon category. Ukraine T-84, Russian T-90 and Chinese MBT2000 are all in production while western tanks are sold second hand to Asian armies at bargain price

In a quiet affair without fanfare, President Barack Obama signed into law the $633 billion Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on 31 December while vacationing in his home state of Hawaii. While not an appropriations act providing the funding to pay for the provisions contained in the law, the NDAA does outline the specific projects and programs the Department of Defense (DoD) is authorized to pursue. Actual funding authorization will be included in an appropriations bill yet to be finalized.

On 9 January, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that a far-reaching economic stimulus package will include an additional $2.1 billion in defense spending to be initiated within the next few months. This supplementary funding is in addition to the existing funding previously programmed into the defense budget for 2012-2013, but is separate from an increase in defense spending requested for the next fiscal year that was announced on 8 January.

China may be planning to conduct an anti-satellite (ASAT) test sometime this month, The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) claims in a recent post published by USC China Project Director Gregory Kulacki. Unlike previous tests conducted at the lower earth orbit, this test could be aimed at the medium orbit, at an altitude of 20,000 km above earth

Japan has decided to increase defense spending for the first time in eleven years, a move widely perceived to be in response to the growing military power of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the divisive territorial dispute over the sovereignty of the Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands that have strained relations between the two nations throughout the past several years.

The Iron Dome anti-rocket system proved its worth at Operation Pillar of Defense, successfully intercepting 85 percent of its intended targets (over 400 rockets that would have otherwise hit inside populated areas). What is the way forward for the system? How it would affect the military balance with the Palestinians, Hezbollah and beyond?

A U.N. study concluded the death toll of the Syrian domestic war has exceeded 60,000 people killed between 15 March 2011 and 30 November 2012. The death toll estimated by the U.N. is a third more than the figure of 45,000 previously given by activists opposed to the regime of President Bashar Assad.

The finalized bill sets the DoD’s base budget at $527.7 billion which is $1.7 billion more than the president requested, but represents a reduction of $29 billion from current spending levels. However, according to Defense secretary Panetta, Congress was too generous in allocating $74 billion in funding programs the military does not need, does not want, and previously scheduled for termination.

On 21 December, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of a possible sale of four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Block 30(I) Global Hawk UAVs to the Republic of Korea (ROK) for an estimated sale price of $1.2 billion, almost a year after a proposed Global Hawk purchase was postponed by South Korea, due to concerns related to pricing and aircraft performance. Washington’s foot-dragging on the deal has been a major disappointment for South Korean leaders and military commanders.

Although the Army hasn’t committed to Hybrid-Electric Drive (HED) propulsion, this technology is already shaping the future requirement in a new way. The first opportunity for the US Army to truly evaluate this trend is the upcoming selection of Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) expected in four years time.

In October 2012 the US Army embarked on an ambitious upgrade of its tactical command and control system, introducing new radios, networking and satellite communications systems to modernize the command and control layers of its infantry brigade combat teams. The light formations – Infantry, airborne, airmobile and mountain brigades will be equipped first and the last to roll in will be the armored brigades, currently scheduled to receive the equipment in 2019.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North’s official state-run news service, announced that the reclusive nation would make another launch attempt to place a satellite in Earth orbit atop a three-stage rocket sometime between 10 and 22 December.

A powerful explosion at the Yarmuk military factory rocked Sudan’s capital before dawn, sending detonating ammunition flying through the air and causing panic, the Sudan official news agency and local media reports said. Thick black smoke covered the sky over the Military Industrial Complex in southern Khartoum. Sudan’s media reported [...]

After decades of relying exclusively on laser and GPS for precision attack, the military and US special operations community is slowly opening to consider Electro-Optically (EO) guided weapons, gaining strike precision at extended range.

After decades of unchallenged naval supremacy in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, new naval powers are looming in the area, and new alliances are formed.

The new issue of Asia pacific Defense Update is here! This digest of 28 articles highlighting recent defense news events from the region is based on the full version (premium content) from Defense Update and other sources, brought to you in a concise, pdf edition you can store on your desktop, read on tablets and smartphones.

After years of negotiation, South Korea and the United States have reached an agreement in support of extending the reach of the South’s ballistic missiles.  Under this agreement, Seoul will be allowed to deploy ballistic missiles with a range of 800 kilometers bringing all of North Korea within striking range of the South’s missile arsenal.

Major issues reported during the recent sea trials at the Barnets Sea are delaying the completion and handover of the refurbished Russian built Admiral Gorshkov, aircraft carrier to the Indian Navy at least until July 2013

According to a US intelligence reports China has carried out a fourth flight test of an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile in recent weeks, this time, the Dong Feng-31A (DF-31A) fired from a new road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) configuration. Last month China carried out another test firing of the mighty DF-41 – the largest ICBM in its inventory.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied Sunday in protest of plans to deploy a squadron of Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys in Okinawa. However, from the US standpoint, without the Osprey, the Marines cannot perform their mission. There is no alternative airframe available and as it seems, the United States is unable to satisfy the demands of the Okinawan protestors.