DEFENSE

CHRISTCHURCH, News Zealand — Australia and the local subsidiary of Norway-based Kongsberg will establish a new missile production in the country, as the company joins other global munitions players in a multibillion-dollar, local push to ramp up munitions production. Construction of the new factory is slated to commence before year’s end, producing and servicing Naval […]

ROME — Japanese military officials have been invited on board an Italian aircraft carrier visiting Japan to see how F-35Bs operate from naval vessels as part of growing defense ties between Rome and Tokyo. As Japan gets set to receive the first of 42 purchased F-35Bs which will fly from two carriers, Italy sent its

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Royal Thai Air Force has nominated the Gripen E/F fighter jet to replace the country’s aging F-16A/Bs in a hard-fought contest involving Saab and Lockheed Martin, officials announced on Tuesday. A service committee deliberated for ten months before recommending the Gripen, though government approval is still required before a contract

MILAN — The NATO Support and Procurement Agency has placed a new order for underwater robots capable of finding and clearing naval mines to be used by two European alliance members. The Belgium division of the underwater drone producer Exail Robotics announced this week that it was awarded a $67 million contract by NSPA for

MOSCOW — A production plant key to Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft program has opened new facilities aimed at scaling up the sluggish delivery tempo, state-owned aerospace conglomerate United Aircraft Corporation announced. Officials have put into operation new development facilities related to the fuel system and started construction of a hangar for avionics testing at the

The U.S. has restarted talks over the future of its armed forces in Chad — the latest African country to express doubt over its relationship with the American military. In the last month, senior leaders from the State and Defense departments have visited the capital of N’Djamena, where they met with members of the Chadian

ISTANBUL — Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) is working to expand flight testing and accelerate prototype production of the Kaan aircraft. The company says it now aims to deliver the first aircraft to the Turkish Air Force by the end of 2028. Speaking on the sidelines of the Teknofest aerospace and technology festival in an interview

PARIS — French defense-electronics maker Thales won a contract to supply the entire sonar and acoustics suite for the Royal Netherlands Navy Orka-class submarine fleet to be built by Naval Group, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The submarine sonar contract is the first in 15 years for Thales outside its core underwater

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Despite a recent accident with an Israeli-built drone, South Korea’s military is pressing ahead ahead with unmanned technology, including a stealthy loyal wingman designed to accompany the air force’s new KF-21 Boramae fighters. The accident occurred on March 17, when an IAI Heron-1 drone belonging to Korea’s army veered off a

PARIS — The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is pushing for member states to spend more on joint defense procurement within the 27-nation bloc, as part of a plan to build up a credible military deterrent against Russia by 2030. Up to €150 billion ($163 billion) in EU-backed loans would be

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish government has unveiled plans to boost domestic landmine production following an announcement that the country, along with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, would pull out the Anti-Personnel Mines Convention, also known as the Ottawa Treaty, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Bejda said the country would launch production of the weapons in

ROME — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has opposed European Union plans to raise €800 billion ($870 billion) for defense spending, spoiling the bloc’s show of bravura in the face of Russian aggression and Donald Trump’s disregard. The European windfall has been proposed by EU commission head Ursula vonder Leyen who is backing plans for