Current Events in Europe

By Navy Recognition: http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3805

Lord Nelson would be rolling over in his crypt... British navy facing severe cutbacks, according to report 'REDUCED READINESS': Unnamed defense sources said it was possible that the navy would cease one of its major commitments overseas to save money AFP, LONDON Saturday, Jan 06, 2007, Page 6 "What this means is that we are now no better than a coastal defense force or a fleet of dug-out canoes. The Dutch now have a better navy than us." unnamed senior officer in the British Royal Navy Almost half of the British Royal Navy's warships are to be mothballed as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) tries to slash costs, the Daily Telegraph reported yesterday.…

From Flight Global [excerpt]

'Mini Red Octobers:'Russia to Push on With Stealth Submarine Program (The Diplomat)

The Harrier GR.9s took their last flight today, ending with some of the aircraft doing literal "bows" before they landed. I'll see if I can link to some footage up later.

From DEW Line [excerpt]

From the official Russian military TV channel (h/t Alert 5)

Eshera - Russia's secret military base? By M. Alkhazashvili TheMessenger Weeks after the signing of the agreement about the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia, sensational information about the existence of a secret Russian submarine base in Abkhazia has surfaced. The submarine base is alleged to be found in Eshera, a town in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia. This information can not be verified by Georgian officials, as Georgian representatives are barred from entering the territory of Abkhazia. Rumors have long circulated about the existence of a Russian military base in Eshera. Current reports about the existence of the base are being c…

Russian Navy Accepts First in New Class of Nuclear Attack Submarine (USNI News)

Report: France to Keep Russian Mistrals In Planned $1.20 Billion Deal (USNI News)

Here's The Six Super Weapons Putin Unveiled During Fiery Address (The War Zone) A nuclear powered cruise missile, a la Project Pluto (SLAM)? That is nuts.

From ARES Blog Submerged IDAS Missile Firing is Milestone for Undersea Warfare Posted by Joris Janssen Lok at 5/30/2008 7:39 AM CDT A German navy submarine has achieved a major milestone in undersea warfare by successfully test firing a fiber-optically-guided IDAS (Interactive Defense and Attack system for Submarines) missile from a submerged position yesterday. The test was performed by the U33, the third of Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems-built U 212 class of air-independent propulsion submarines, in the western part of the Baltic Sea May 29. IDAS, developed by a consortium of Diehl Defence [the missile], TKMS (HDW) [submarine integration] and No…

From Defense Aerospace [excerpt] And a pic from Aviation Week's Ares blog: CV32: Reference in there to a total of 19 torpedoes carried.

Statistical Bulletin Series 4 provides figures on the equipment of the United Kingdom Armed Forces and gives international comparisons. (PDF)

Here's an excerpt from an interesting article on the Meteor AAM. It's a long one so check out the link. Meteor Approaching Arming the Typhoon, Rafale, and Gripen eDefenseOnline by Michal Fiszer Feb. 8, 2006 Despite still being in the relatively early stages of development, the Meteor missile has achieved a significant number of program milestones, including a few key ones in the latter part of 2005. On Sept. 7, 2005, the first Meteor Ground Handling Training Missiles (GHTMs) were flown on a Rafale fighter at Istres in southeastern France. The Meteor GHTM represents the dynamic properties of an operational missile such as size, mass, and aerodynamic conf…

From Flight Global DATE: 30/03/10 SOURCE: Flight International Saying goodbye to the 'Mighty Hunter' By Craig Hoyle The UK Royal Air Force will mark the end of an era in its proud maritime patrol heritage on 31 March, when the last of its British Aerospace Nimrod MR2s will be retired from use. Commemorated during a formal ceremony at RAF Kinloss in Scotland late last week, the occasion will bring to an end 41 years of operations with the Nimrod: a type derived from the world's first jet airliner, the ill-fated de Havilland Comet, which first flew in 1949. Having been selected in 1965 to meet the Ministry of Defence's Operational Requirement 381, the …

Meteor at last in service first time, in the Swedish Air Force from 11 July 2016 (in Brazilian Portuguese): http://www.aereo.jor.br/2016/07/11/missil-meteor-da-mbda-entra-em-servico-no-gripen-da-forca-aerea-sueca/

From Ares No Raptor at Le Bourget Posted by Amy Butler at 6/1/2009 10:59 AM CDT The U.S. Air Force's F-22 is not going to make an appearance at the Paris Air Show later this month. Service officials cite deployments and operational requirements as the reason the service's premier stealthy twin-engine fighter will not fly at the air show. "Because of air expeditionary deployments and operational requirements, the Air Force has decided not to send the F-22 to participate in the 2009 Paris Air Show," according to Air Force officials. The Raptor will surely be missed. Last year's flying display at the Farnborough air show captured the gaze of onlookers a…

From Flight Global [excerpt]