Australia has awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace a contract worth about $96 million to supply joint strike missiles from the Norwegian company’s newly opened factory at the Newcastle Airport precinct in New South Wales. Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said the JSMs, scheduled for delivery in 2025, will accelerate Canberra’s...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
BAE Systems Acquires Defense and Security Business Kirintec to Boost Electronic Warfare Portfolio
BAE Systems has announced its purchase of Kirintec, a U.K. company specializing in electronic warfare products supporting military cyber and electromagnetic activities, for an undisclosed amount. The Herefordshire-based company will be integrated into BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence business, led by Group Managing Director Andrea Thompson. The acquisition includes a plan to support increased investment in...
US to Help Boost Jordan’s Disease Response Capability With Pathogen Analysis Training
The United States will help strengthen Jordan’s response capability to disease outbreaks under a joint requirements implementation plan with the Royal Medical Services of the Jordanian Armed Forces. The plan calls for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency under the Department of Defense to mobilize its Biological Threat Reduction Program in collaboration with RMS to organize training...
London Seeks Parliament Approval to Put Nuclear-Sharing Arrangments With US on Permanent Footing
The U.K. government has notified its Parliament of proposed revisions to the UK-US Mutual Defence Agreement that include indefinitely extending the nuclear cooperation arrangement between the two countries due to expire at the end of 2024. The proposed extension seeks to amend a provision in Article 5 of the 1958 agreement that subjects the pact...
Netherlands Boosts Missile Defense Capability With Planned Purchase of Patriot Launch Stations
The U.S. Department of State has approved the possible sale of two Patriot missile launching stations and related equipment to the Netherlands valued at an estimated $224 million. The request includes the acquisition of equipment and services to upgrade existing M901 LS to the M903 LS configuration, plus nonmajor defense equipment such as Patriot Advanced...
Pentagon Holds Demos on Autonomous Naval Systems to Advance AUKUS Pillar II
The U.S. Department of Defense has kicked off the Maritime Big Play series to support Pillar II of the AUKUS security pact focused on promoting the advanced capabilities olf Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The defense chiefs of the three countries announced the MBP initiative in December, along with other directives for...
Juliette Wilcox Takes Lead Role at Ultra Intelligence & Communications’s UK Cyber Division
Juliette Wilcox, former cybersecurity ambassador of the U.K. Department for Business and Trade’s U.K. Defence and Security Exports, has been appointed president of Ultra Intelligence & Communications’ U.K. Cyber division. In her new position, Wilcox heads more than 200 employees in the division’s locations in Maidenhead, Farnborough and Gloucester. The company said the new cyber...
Lockheed Martin Lists F-16 Pilot Training Center in European Expansion Plans
Lockheed Martin plans to double the instructional capability of the F-16 pilot training center opened in November at the Romanian Air Force 86th Air Base to meet the demand from the United States and its allies. Frank St. John, chief operating officer at Lockheed, told Defense One that expanding the training facility, which graduated its...
Taiwan Defense Budget Soars, With $4.66B Allotted for Military Equipment Acquisition
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s Cabinet has approved a record-high $20.29 billion for its 2025 defense budget, with an allocation of $4.66 billion for arms procurement, including payments for U.S. military equipment purchases. According to a Defense News report, the budget ratification comes as Chinese intrusions into Taiwanese air space hit an annual record of 1,739...
Hanwha Aerospace Unit Inaugurates Australian Armored Vehicle Manufacturing Facility
Hanwha Defence Australia, a subsidiary of South Korean company Hanwha Aerospace, has inaugurated an armored vehicle manufacturing facility in Geelong, Victoria. The Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence, or H-ACE, supports the production and sustainment of tracked armored vehicles through various facilities, including several assembly lines, a test track and obstacle course, a deep-water test...