December 17, 2021, marks 10 years since the death of North Korea leader Kim Jong Il who had headed the country’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party for 17 years since 1994. The Korean leader’s death was widely hailed in the West at the time as heralding a new era in the […]
The British Royal Air Force (RAF) has gained its first victory in air to air combat since the 1940s, when a Eurofighter Typhoon was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence to have shot down a drone in Syrian airspace. A “small hostile drone” was reported by the ministry to have […]
Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group Co has increased the scale of production of J-20 heavyweight fifth generation fighters for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, announcing that this increase began in the fourth quarter of 2021. The firm announced that it broke records in the quantities of J-20s delivered […]
The United Arab Emirates has suspended talks for the acquisition of F-35 stealth fighters from the United States, after plans for a $23 billion contact for 50 fighters, 18 MQ-9 Reaper drones, and various associated armaments was stalled in the first months of the Biden administration. “The UAE has informed […]
The first images of China’s latest class of fighter jet, and the first new carrier based fighter to be unveiled worldwide for several years, have emerged showing the long awaited J-15B Flying Shark. The fighter represents the most advanced pre-fifth generation fighter China has yet to develop, and integrates a […]
Following the announcement of U.S. economic sanctions and an arms embargo on Cambodia on December 8, which were put into place due to Western opposition to the country’s growing defence and economic ties to China and reported construction of a Chinese military base, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered all […]
During the 1980s the Soviet Union escalated efforts to develop fifth generation fighter aircraft with the Mikoyan, Sukhoi and Yakovlev design bureaus submitting rival proposals. Options for a next generation fighter were all built around radar evading stealth airframes, a new generation of sensors and avionics, and engines and aerodynamics […]
Amid rising tensions between Moscow and NATO, British sources have warned that Russia is moving growing numbers of air defence systems near its borders with Ukraine. The appearance of a Russian Buk-M1 medium range air defence battalion was cited as a signal of possible aggressive intent by Moscow, although the […]
On December 10 the Finnish government confirmed plans to purchase F-35 fighter jets from United States, and formally authorised the Defence Forces Logistics Command to sign a procurement contract accordingly. Finland previously fielded Soviet fighter jets during the Cold War and was a major operator of the MiG-21, but subsequently […]
Amid rising tensions between Moscow and NATO over ongoing the civil war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on December 9 that the situation in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass regions resembled a genocide. “We can see clearly and know what is happening in the Donbass right now. This, of course, […]