China Has Begun Construction of a Naval Support Base in Djibuti
China has begun construction of a logistics base in Djibouti, Chinese Ministry of Defence confirmed today; the base at the Horn of Africa will be China's first military facility overseas.
Four of 2016’s Ten Risk Hot Spots in Middle East, IHS Says
Four Middle Eastern conflicts are staring among the top 10 'hot spots' - the 'Top Risk Environments Report determines. The report, produced by IHS Country Risk, explores 10 of the major risk environments of 2016, with their likely impact and key indicators for change. “Four of the 10 risk hot spots for 2016 are in the Middle East,” said Keerti Rajan,...
Al-Shabaab VBIED Attack on Mogadishu Hotel Kills 13
A suicide attacker drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into the gate of the Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, earlier today, killing 13 people. The car bomb exploded at the hotel's main gate. The bomb destroyed part of the hotel and caused damage to nearby structures.
100 Israeli armored vehicles supplied to three African countries
IAI announced today that the company has signed three contracts for the supply of 100 RAM armored vehicles from three military customers in Africa. One of these contracts is a follow-on to a previous order in which a military customer ordered 50 vehicles.
Paris, Cairo ‘close to agreement’ on Rafale, FREMM deal worth 5-6 Billion euros
France and Egypt are ‘close to agreement’ on a large scale arms deal that could cost 5-6 billion Euros and include naval vessels and fighter aircraft, La Tribune reports. The French proposal includes two FREMM multi-mission frigates worth 1.8 billion Euro, to be built by DCNS, and 20 Rafale combat aircraft from Dassault, worth 3.6 billion Euro. Both platforms will be armed with missile systems manufactured by MBDA.
Intercept test validates Barak 8 air defense system maturity
Today at 07:20 (Israel time), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD), conducted the first successful flight test of the Barak-8 Air & Missile Defense System. On this test, held at the weapon test range in the Negev desert the system employed all the elements related to the naval and land-based variants of...
The Geographic Spread of Al Qaeda
Standing back at looking at the deteriorating situation across the Middle East and North Africa it is difficult not to conclude that with so many places now available for Al Qaeda to offer training to its adherents that soon its operating model may change yet again.
Lawless Southern Libya Turns into a Haven for al-Qaeda
Libyan war planes attacked targets in south-central area of Libya on Saturday (January 18, 2014) after gunmen stormed and seized the Tamahind air force base outside Sabha, 770 km (480 miles) south of the capital Tripoli. At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between two tribes in Libya's south, between al-Tabw tribe and the Awlad Soliman tribe....
European Forces to Support French, African Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic
The foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) meeting today in Brussels are expected to approve a European military intervention in the Central African Republic, a decision backing up the French and African Union peacekeeping operations already taking place in the region. Hundreds of people have died and about one million have been displaced by violence between Christians and...
UN Drone Crashed in Congo
An unmanned aircraft used by U.N. peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo was damaged yesterday while landing at the airport near the eastern town of Goma. The incident occurred as the Falco drone was returning from a mission, and no casualties were reported, said Lt. Col. Felix Prosper Basse, a military spokesman for the country’s peacekeeping mission. The United...
Africom Repositioning Forces in Eastern Africa
The U.S. Africa Command (Africom) is repositioning forces in East Africa in an effort to attain maximum flexibility to respond to State Department requests, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said. Based on the current situation in South Sudan, Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, the commander of Africom, moved elements from the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response...
South African Rippel to Qualify Diehl’s 40mm Ammo for its Grenade Launchers
Diehl Defence signed an agreement with the South African company Rippel Effect Systems (PTY) Ltd. covering joint marketing of grenade launcher systems. The agreement initially focuses on qualification of Diehl’s new 40 mm – Medium Velocity ammunition for the grenade launchers XRGL40 and UBL40 of the weapon specialist from Pretoria. The agreement paves the way for the two companies offering complete...
Combat Debut for Rooivalk
The South African Denel DH-2 Rooivalk attack helicopter made its combat debut on Monday 4 November, 2013 while conducting armed overwatch and close air support flights of UN personnel in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South African media has reported. The SAAF deployed three Rooivalk helicopters to the DRC in late October, clearing them to begin operations on...
Ethiopia Offered the Su-30s
Russia is offering 18 ex-Indian Air Force Su-30 fighters to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Air Force already operates 17 Su-27 models, along with earlier models of jet fighters, including ageing MiG-23, MiG-21 and Su-25. "We proposed to modernise them in order to improve their tactical and technical characteristics and equip modern air-to-ground missiles" said the deputy general director of the...
