Current Events in Europe

From DefenseNews Finland Accuses Russia of Numerous Airspace Violations By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, HELSINKI Russia has repeatedly violated neighboring Finland’s airspace despite official protests from Helsinki, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said May 20. Russian military planes flying to or from Kaliningrad, situated on the Baltic Sea near the Polish border, have illegally entered Finnish airspace on numerous occasions over recent months, the ministry claimed. “Violations have continued despite the fact that Russian authorities have been approached and a cessation of violations has been demanded,” the ministry said in a statement. At least 10 …

German Navy F-125 Baden-Wurttenberg, first on her class, failed the commisioning date of 28 July 2017: http://navaltoday.com/2017/07/31/germanys-first-f125-frigate-misses-commissioning-date/

From Aviation Week [excerpt]

EU Creates New Rapid Reaction Forces By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BRUSSELS DefenceNews The European Union on May 23 launched two new “battle group” rapid response forces, part of a growing number of such units able to rush to crisis zones worldwide. France, Germany and Spain agreed to set up one such force, while Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Germany also signed an agreement to create another at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. The force is a “concrete contribution to the rapid reaction capacities that the European Union has decided it wants to have,” French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on the sidelines of the Brussels ta…

War crimes suspect arrested in Serbia after 15 years on the run.

From DefenseNews France Strikes Deal on NATO Command: Report By agence france-presse Published: 4 Feb 12:13 EST (17:13 GMT) PARIS - France has won U.S. support to take command of two major NATO structures as part of negotiations on its return to the military alliance's integrated command, Le Monde newspaper's Feb. 4 edition said. Under the agreement, one French general would be appointed to head NATO's Allied Command Transformation based in Norfolk, Va., and a general could take over a regional command in Lisbon, the newspaper reported. President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to announce France's return to NATO's command structure at a summit in Strasbourg…

I don't know if this news report was referenced on his day a few months ago, 27 January 2017. Intrigued by the fate of the upcoming Sea Ceptor naval SAM, no news in a long time. Looking for it in Internet only found this recent report: http://navaltoday.com/2017/01/27/hms-westminster-starts-sea-trials-after-major-refit/ Apparently from October 2016 is finished the refit adding Sea Ceptor launcher and Artisan 3D radar (some had it previously, I think) in the frigates Westminster, Montrose and Argyll (the latter designed as test ship for Sea Ceptor), waiting now for the induction in service of Sea Ceptor. Note Wesminster is equipped with towed Sonar 2087 (Current…

From Jane's Russia commissions first Project 20380 corvette By Richard Scott 20 November 2007 The first Project 20380 multirole corvette for the Russian Federation Navy was commissioned on 14 November after completing contractor's sea trials and state acceptance tests. Named Steregushchiy, the 2,200-tonne-displacement ship is the first of a planned class of up to 20 ships. A further four units of the class are currently in build. Designed by the St Petersburg-based Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, the Project 20380 corvette is intended to operate in coastal waters, reflecting the Russian Federation Navy's current emphasis on the protection and securit…

Turkey Formalizes Intention To Buy 100 JSFs By BURAK EGE BEKDIL, ANKARA, and UMIT ENGINSOY, WASHINGTON DefenseNews Turkey’s top defense procurement panel late Dec. 12 formally announced that the NATO ally was planning to buy 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), a deal worth more than $10 billion, as the Turkish Air Force’s new-generation fighter aircraft. After a key meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee in Ankara, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told reporters that Turkey would sign a memorandum of understanding before year’s end that would make Ankara one of the nine partners in the production phase of the U.S. led program. The move is a prelude t…

From the Air Forces Monthly September 2012 issue: Eight VC-10 tankers in RAF service, but two to be retired in September 2012 and three in March 2013, leaving the service with only three VC-10 tankers. And the Voyager K2/3 is in service, but only one plane, finishing his first training flight in April 2012, and ... only for transport and aeromedical roles, for tanker use we should wait to ... 2014

From http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065971819 [excerpt]

It might be more accurate to call them "Ships of Battle" than Battleships RUSSIA TO GET NEW BATTLESHIPS Novosti MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Navy is set to acquire 10 to 20 new battleships by 2015 that will set it back 5 to 10 billion rubles per frigate, Biznes, a business daily, reported. The keels of a new frigate and a new large amphibious landing ship will be laid July 31 on Navy Day, said Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy. The new Mk 22350 multi-role and long-range frigate will conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, hitting other naval targets. It will take three or four years to complete o…

Naval base has 19 warships in mothballs and just 16 on active service By Stewart Payne (Filed: 13/06/2006) Telegraph For the first time since the 1982 Falklands conflict the number of warships at Portsmouth naval base on active service has dropped below the number decommissioned and awaiting disposal. The home of the Fleet has 19 redundant ships compared with 16 on active duty but in dock. Although these figures may be used as further proof of the scaling down of the Senior Service, the Royal Navy said the situation had only arisen because a further 27 ships were at sea. A spokesman said: "We like to keep our ships busy, and that is good value for the t…

RIA Novosti story

From RIA Novosti Russian Navy to receive Severodvinsk nuclear submarine in 2010 18:08 | 19/ 11/ 2008 SEVERODVINSK, November 19 (RIA Novosti) - A new nuclear-powered attack submarine will be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2010, a Russian shipyard said on Wednesday. Severodvinsk is the first Project 855 Yasen (Graney) series of the Severodvinsk class nuclear submarines, combining the ability to launch a variety of long-range cruise missiles (up to 3,100 miles) with nuclear warheads, and effectively engage hostile submarines and surface warships. "There are no problems with the construction of the submarine, and financing is underway. The vessel will be de…

Russia's Su-34 fleet found to have serious defects (Flight Global's DEW Line blog)

STRATFOR article

S-400 Air Defense Regiment Takes up Duty in Russia's South Solidifying the grip on Crimea, no doubt.

From Defence Talk Britain feared US would 'nuke' Afghanistan: ex-diplomat Agence France-Presse | Jun 18, 2007 Britain joined the United States' invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001 because it feared America would "nuke the shit" out of Afghanistan, the former British ambassador to Washington reportedly told a television documentary to be screened Saturday. In comments printed in advance in the Daily Mirror tabloid on Monday, Christopher Meyer said that fear explained why Prime Minister Tony Blair chose to stand with US President George W. Bush in his decision to invade Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks -- to te…

Ukraine To Scrap Cruiser, Buy New Vessels (DefenseNews) The cruiser is the Project 1164 Atlant (NATO Slava) class guided missile cruiser Ukrayina (ex Lobov).