Military

Successful Airbus A330 MRTT flight test campaign for F-15 fighters automatic refuelling

By DPA NewsDesk | October 11, 2023

Singapore, 11 October 2023 – Airbus and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)worked together to successfully complete the automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) flight testcampaign with the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and F-15 fighter, aheadof its certification in the first half of 2024. Over the course of three weeks in August, a…

Implications of Exodus of Soviet-Era Weaponry Around the World to Ukraine

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | August 16, 2023

Since the beginning of the Ukraine War, all the former Soviet countries had been ejecting their soviet weapons to Ukraine, as military aid – and with the promise of free/discounted replacement with western/american models of similar, but modern type of the same weapons. As the war drags on, European Soviet weapons are exhausted, but an…

The Second Mexican-American War

By Nikolaos Passalis | July 10, 2023

This article is part two of a two-part series. Read the first part here: https://defensepoliticsasia.com/the-second-pacific-war/ As the world looked away, enthralled, with the actions of America abroad, primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq, but not exclusively so and then as it became enthralled, in more recent years, with the various developments that have occurred, ranging from…

ARTICLES

Putin announces “Special Operation” – multiple Ukrainian cities reported explosions

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | February 24, 2022

Explosions were reported across multiple cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Mariupol. There are also unverified reports that amphibious assault on Mariupol and Odessa. Mariupol is in Donetsk oblast. But if Russian troops lands in Odessa (which is west of Crimea), it would invalidate our assessment that this would just be a limited…

[ CNA ] RSAF to fly F-16 fighter jets for ‘at least’ another decade, following F-35 developments ‘closely’: Air force chief

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | February 15, 2022

“We will continue to operate these (F-16) fighter aircraft for at least another decade and are working towards replacing the F-16s at the end of their operational life,” MG Khong said in written responses to questions posed in conjunction with this year’s Singapore Airshow. MG Khong said the RSAF’s fleet of F-16C/Ds is being upgraded in phases,…

[ GovCon Wire ] State Department OKs $14B Boeing F-15 Aircraft Sale to Indonesia

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | February 12, 2022

The State Department has approved a potential sale to Indonesia of F-15 fighter aircraft built by Boeing (NYSE: BA) and associated equipment through an estimated $13.9 billion government-to-government agreement with the U.S. Indonesia’s foreign military sales request includes 36 F-15ID jets, 87 F110-GE-129 or F100-PW-229 engines, 92 embedded GPS security devices and 40 M61A Vulcan gun systems, the…

Indonesia signs 8.1 billion USD deal to buy 42 Rafale fighter jets from France

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | February 10, 2022

Indonesia had just confirmed and signed the 8.1 billion US dollar contract to buy 42, Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation SA. This is another big coup for Dassault after United Arab Emirates confirmed their purchase of 80 Rafales last December, following other earlier deals with Greece, Croatia and Egypt. The order comes with…

Video of F-35 crashing over South China Sea going viral – Watch it here

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 30, 2022

A video of the final approach of the F-35 that crashed and fallen into the South China Sea had went viral across the internet and had been reproduced and shared on social media platforms. DPA had acquired the footage and reproduced the clip in slow motion. From the short clip, it seems like the fighter…

[ MEMO ] Israel rejects selling Iron Dome defence system to UAE

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 29, 2022

Israeli security agencies have rejected selling the Iron Dome and David’s Sling Weapons System to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel Hayom and Maariv reported military analysts revealing on Friday. According to Maariv, military analyst Alon Ben David said that the Israeli security agencies rejected the potentiality to sell developed technologies to its new partners, referring to…

[ Sputnik ] Russia Offers India to Develop New Tank Based on Armata, Military Agency Says

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 29, 2022

Moscow has offered New Delhi to develop a new Indian combat tank on the basis of the Russian Armata platform, the spokeswoman for Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Valeria Reshetnikova, told Sputnik. “Taking into account Indian military plans on starting the development of a new combat tank, in the framework of a recently held Russian-Indian…

Philippines signs 369.3 million USD deal with India to buy the BrahMos shore-based anti-ship cruise missiles

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 29, 2022

The Philippines’ Department of National Defense announced on the Philippines government news agency, that they had officially signed the contract for the acquisition of India’s BrahMos medum-range ramjet supersonic cruise missiles. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and BrahMos Aerospace director general Atul Dinkar Rane signed the contract worth PHP18.9 billion (estimated 369.3 million USD) in a…

[ Express ] Global tensions grow as Chinese rocket scientist defects to the West

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 29, 2022

Described as a rocket technician, the Chinese national was attached to the stateowned Aviation Industry Corp of China, where he helped develop a mid-range hypersonic boost-glide vehicle capable of carrying DF-17 missiles to a range of up to 2,000 miles. Sources say the scientist, in his 30s, is connected with a more recent hypersonic missile…

[ AP ] Russia threatens retaliation if Ukraine demands not met

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 26, 2022

Russia warned Wednesday it would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands and continue their “aggressive” policies, ratcheting up pressure on the West amid concerns that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied it has any such designs, but the United States and its NATO…

A Case for Increasing Singapore’s Participation in International Peacekeeping

By Ibrahim Conrad Abdullah | January 22, 2022

‘Military Operations Other Than War’ (MOOTW), also known as ‘Peace Support Operations’ (PSO)[1] encompasses operations that have been described by the United Nations’ ‘Supplement to an Agenda for Peace’[2] as ‘Instruments for Peace and Security’ that involve elements such as ‘peace-keeping’, ‘post-conflict peace-building’, and ‘preventive diplomacy and peacemaking’[3]. This article aims to argue that Singapore…

Milipol Asia-Pacific 2022 to be held on 18 – 20 May 2022 in Singapore

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | January 19, 2022

The region flagship security show that is officially supported by the Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and France’s Ministry of Interior will be back this year at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre (Marina Bay Sands) in Singapore from 18 – 20th May 2022. The Asia-Pacific’s largest 3 day exhibition and conference covers multiple aspects…

UAE and Ukraine providing military support to Ethiopia in civil war against Tigray Defense Forces

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | November 26, 2021

According to an exclusive report by Al Jazeera, they had discovered by satellite images that Ethiopia is receiving extensive support in their fight against forces from the northern Tigray region. In their investigation, there were more than 90 flights between United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ethiopia between September and November 2021. A Spanish firm is…

[ DefenseNews ] Morocco buys Israeli counter-drone system Skylock Dome

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | November 26, 2021

The Moroccan military has purchased the Israeli counter-drone system Skylock Dome, according to a Nov. 21 post on the armed forces’ official Facebook page. “Some systems were delivered already, but there is no information about the value of the deal or the number of systems that have been acquired,” Moroccan military expert Abdel Hamid Harfi…

Abu Dhabi-based Calidus unveiled heavy attack turboprop aircraft: B-350

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | November 15, 2021

According to multiple reports, including from FlightGlobal.com, AINOnline.com and Aviationweek.com, Calidus unveiled a model of B-350 at the Dubai Airshow. The “large” turboprop seemed to be a heavier version of the Calidus B-250, with 12 underwing hardpoints that can carry an assortment of armament: from precision guided bombs, to rockets and even sidewinders (refer to…

[ Inquirer ] PH military to boost arsenal with South Korean hardware

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | November 14, 2021

A team of defense and military officers was in South Korea last week for a joint visual inspection of used rocket systems and a surplus warship that will be handed over by the Seoul government, security officials familiar with the matter told INQUIRER.net. The Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps are likely to be recipients of…

[ The Korea Times ] Korea, Indonesia reaches final agreement over KF-X project

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | November 12, 2021

Source: https://wwwa.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/11/205_318635.html The militaries of South Korea and Indonesia have reached a final agreement on the cost-sharing for their joint fighter development project called the KF-X (Korean Fighter eXperimental) here and the IF-X in Indonesia. The Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced Thursday that it had reached an agreement with the Indonesian defense ministry…

Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – New People’s Army (NPA)’s spokesperson/commander killed

By Wyatt Mingji Lim | October 31, 2021

According to the Philippine News Agency of the Filipino government, Jorge Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, is killed in an operation in Impasugong, Bukidnon, Mindanao. Madlos is the spokesperson of the New People’s Army (NPA) and is the most wanted NPA commander in Mindanao. Madlos was facing multiple cimrinal cases such as robbery with…

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