Lithuanian leader calls to double military spending by 2019
Vilnius (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite on Thursday urged the government to more than double its defence budget over five years amid tension following Russia's takeover of Crimea.
The Baltic nation currently spends 0.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. That is well below the NATO target of two percent, in part due to huge cuts made during the global financial crisis. ...
more
Egypt jihadists threaten Sinai security wall attacks
Cairo (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
An Al-Qaeda-inspired group based in the Egyptian Sinai threatened Thursday to attack contractors and workers involved in the construction of a security wall at a town in the restive peninsula.
The Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem) group has claimed most of the deadliest attacks in Egypt since the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July, saying they were in reveng ...
more
UN hopeful for way out of Iraq vote impasse
United Nations, United States (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
The UN envoy to Iraq said Thursday there was a "window of opportunity" for Baghdad to resolve a pre-election crisis sparked by the resignation en masse of its election commission.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned Wednesday that April 30 legislative elections may be delayed given Tuesday's resignations, and with violence at its worst in six years.
But in New York, Nickolay Mlade ...
more
Baghdad bombings kill 12
Baghdad (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
Three sets of bombings in Baghdad killed at least a dozen people Thursday evening, the latest in a surge in bloodshed in Iraq just weeks ahead of scheduled parliamentary elections.
Two roadside bombs that exploded in Amriyah in western Baghdad, a car bomb in the northern district of Adhamiyah - both of which are Sunni-majority - and another vehicle in the Saidiyah neighbourhood also wounde ...
more
Thales, Qatar to develop hybrid aircraft
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 26, 2014 -
Qatar's military has set out to develop a high-performance optionally piloted aircraft with the help of Thales, the France-headquartered defense conglomerate.
Thales said in an announcement that a company representative and a Qatari official signed a memorandum of understanding on the project Thursday.
"This is an exciting prospect that Thales is looking forward to developing wit ...
more
Cassidian receives order for military optics
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 26, 2014 -
Tanks and self-propelled guns operated by unidentified Middle East nation are to be fitted with optical equipment from Cassidian Optronics GmbH.
Cassidian said the contract given it by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG and Rheinmetall Defense Electronics GmbH is worth more than $55 million.
Details as to the number of products to be supplied for Leopard 2 A7+ tanks and PzH 2000 ...
more
Australia breaks ground for Seahawk helicopter support
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 26, 2014 -
Ground was broken this week for a new maintenance and warehouse facility in Australia for U.S.-made MH-60R helicopters.
The facility of Maritime Helicopter Support Company, a joint venture of Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed Martin Australia, is to open next year and will be comprised of two buildings - an 89,000 square foot maintenance repair operation building, and a warehouse of 33,00 ...
more
France says Qatar to buy 22 military helicopters
Paris (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
Qatar will buy 22 NH90 military helicopters from European aerospace group Airbus worth nearly two billion euros ($2.8 billion), the French defence ministry said Thursday.
It said 12 of these would be transport helicopters and the other 10 would be the frigate version. Qatar will also acquire two Airbus-made refuelling tankers.
The decision was conveyed to French Defence Minister Jean-Yve ...
more
Approval given for Griffin missile launch system
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 26, 2014 -
The U.S. Navy and Raytheon report that the Navy's MK-60 missile system for use in littoral waters has gained initial operating capability status.
The Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System features a laser targeting system and a Navy-designed launcher and battle management system combined with Raytheon's combat-proven Griffin missile.
The missile, used in the wars in Iraq and Afgh ...
more
Rockwell Collins, Avionics Services in manufacturing deal
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 26, 2014 -
Avionics displays by Rockwell Collins are to be built in South America through a manufacturing agreement with Avionics Services of Brazil.
Rockwell Collins said a memorandum of agreement for manufacture of the systems was signed earlier this week at an international air show held in Chile.
"This agreement provides a key, in-country capability of building advanced avionics display ...
more
Israel's Peres to meet UN nuclear watchdog chief
Jerusalem (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
Israeli President Shimon Peres flies to Vienna on Sunday for talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency head, the pan-European security watchdog OSCE and Austrian leaders, his office said.
Peres and Yukiya Amano, director general of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, will discuss its "role as the professional body leading the effort to put the brakes on Iran's nuclear programme," his ...
more
Negotiator 'confident' over Pakistan Taliban ceasefire
Islamabad (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
A negotiator for the Pakistani Taliban said Thursday he was "confident" the militants would extend their month-long ceasefire, following a first round of direct talks with the government.
The government began negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) through intermediaries last month to try to end the Islamists' bloody seven-year insurgency.
On Wednesday a four-member govern ...
more
UN Security Council condemns NKorea missile launch
United Nations, United States (AFP) March 28, 2014 -
The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile tests and agreed to quickly consult on an appropriate response, its rotating president said.
"Security Council members condemn this launch as a violation of Security Council resolutions," Luxembourg's ambassador Sylvie Lucas told reporters after a closed-door debate of less than an hour.
The condemnation ...
more
US defense chief heads to China, Japan next week
Washington (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel will travel to China and Japan next week after hosting a meeting of Asian defense ministers in Hawaii, amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over a disputed island chain.
The US military has sought improved relations with its Chinese counterpart, arguing that stronger links will help avoid dangerous misunderstandings.
Beijing has made broad territorial claims ...
more
Ukraine says 100,000 Russian troops near border
Washington (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
Nearly 100,000 Russian forces have massed on Ukraine's border, a top Ukrainian defense official told an American audience Thursday, giving a number far higher than US military estimates.
"Almost 100,000 soldiers are stationed on the borders of Ukraine and in the direction ... of Kharkiv, Donetsk, " Andriy Parubiy, chairman of Ukraine's national security council, said via a webcast from Kiev. ...
more
US Air Force fires nine in nuclear missile cheating scandal
Washington (AFP) March 27, 2014 -
The US Air Force said Thursday it sacked nine nuclear missile officers and will discipline dozens of others over an exam cheating scandal that has sparked concerns about lax ethics.
The officers, including chiefs of four squadrons, were all working at Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana, which has been rocked by cheating allegations that implicated up to 100 airmen.
"Nine officers in lea ...
more
