Current Events in Europe

From Defence Talk Moscow Sends Missiles To Belarus After Warsaw Gets US Warplanes Agence France-Presse Nov 13, 2006 - 5:41:38 AM Russia has sent anti-aircraft systems to Belarus in retaliation against the delivery to Poland of U.S.-made F-16 warplanes, a source in the Moscow-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) said Nov. 10. ”Anticipating the arrival of the F-16s in Poland, Russia has sent to Belarus four S-300 anti-aircraft systems which have already been put into service,” according to a source at the headquarters of the anti-aircraft defense alliance of the CIS, quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency. The CIS is made up of the former members of t…

From DefenseNews Russian Bombers Spotted Again Over North Sea; Fighters Scramble By Agence France-Presse, Oslo British and Norwegian fighter jets scrambled over the North Sea after Russian bombers were spotted flying at “unusual” latitudes overnight, the Norwegian military said July 20. The repeated sightings of Russian jets — the most numerous off Norway’s coast since the end of the Cold War, according to Norwegian public radio NRK — came amid an escalating diplomatic crisis between Russia and Britain. In the third incident of its kind this week, Norwegian jets were again called out early July 20 as another two Russian bombers were spotted close to Norwe…

CV32: I think I heard that sigh of relief from here. From RIA Novosti A test warhead from a Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile successfully hit its target on the Kura test range in Russia's Far East Kamchatka region, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The missile was fired from the Dmitry Donskoy submarine in the White Sea. Bulava test launches were put on hold after a failed launch on December 9, 2009, which was caused by a defective engine nozzle. The Bulava (SS-NX-30), a three-stage liquid and solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), has officially suffered seven failures in 13 tests. MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novo…

Including commander of Cypriot Navy

Its sad to see our surface fleet being pared back so horrendously with little prospect of like for like replacement. First the Type 22's there going to be nothing left soon! Link: Royal Navy Website

From DefenseNews Posted 12/08/06 10:18 Britain to U.S.: Share JSF Technology or No Deal By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, LONDON Britain should cancel a deal with the United States to purchase Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jets if America does not share sensitive technology by the end of the year, a report by the parliamentary defense committee will say, the Financial Times reported on Dec.8. The yearly report on British weapons spending, which is due to be released Dec. 8, says “it is still uncertain whether the U.S. is prepared to provide the required information”, despite Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush agreeing in May that Britain would get the t…

Paints a grim picture ... From Defense Aerospace British Defense Cuts Could Fracture Alliance (Source: Lexington Institute; issued September 9, 2010) The British Government is about to complete its Defense Review 2010. Scheduled under the former Labor government, the review is taking place under the guiding hand of the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government and in the midst of the most severe economic crisis in Britain’s post-war history. The government has made it clear that it intends to close a yawning budget deficit primarily through deep budget cuts and that defense will not be immune from significant reductions. Estimates of the seve…

From RIA Novosti [excerpt]

From Defense Aerospace In the Wake of the Ancient Greeks: Sea Trials in the Mediterranean (Source: Kockums AB; issued Oct. 12, 2006) HMS Helsingborg has been undergoing sea trials in the Mediterranean over a period of approximately four weeks, to test her performance in these southern and warmer waters. During transit down the English Channel, the French Coastguard command centre in Brest amusingly confirmed the effectiveness of the vessel’s stealth technology. The Centre admitted having problems spotting the vessel, although she’d raised a mast equipped with radar reflectors to make her more visible! In an interview given to the Finnish daily newspap…

From RIA Novosti Russia's Yury Dolgoruky submarine to start sea trials in spring 18:52 | 11/ 02/ 2009 MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) - Sea trials of Russia's first Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine will start in the spring when navigation opens in the White Sea, Russia's Navy commander said on Wednesday. The fourth-generation Yury Dolgoruky was built at the Sevmash plant in northern Russia and was taken out of dry dock in April 2007. It will be equipped with sea-based Bulava ballistic missiles, although they have not entered service and are due to undergo further testing this year. "The ice floe conditions in the White Sea at present are still no…

The T-50 Fighter Will Feature Even Greater Stealth Capabilities (Defense Aerospace) PAK FA stealth features patent published (Jane's)

Times Article This might be straight from Alan Fridge, but it's an interesting development. It's also one I'd support, as my avatar suggests...

France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship (RIA Novosti)

From Defence Aerospace Eurocopter Proudly Announces the Official Acceptance of the first HAP Tiger by the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement. (Source: Eurocopter; issued March 18, 2005) MARIGNANE, France --- Engineer General Jacques Sandeau was at Marignane on 18 March to officially deliver the first of its 80 Tiger helicopters to the French Army Air Corps (ALAT). General Sandeau heads the Service des Programmes Aéronautiques (Aeronautical Programs Department) of the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement (French defence procurement agency). This decisive step not only marks the qualitative acceptance of the helicopters in terms of performances and systems, b…

From Flight Global [excerpt]

From Navy Times France shows off new, roomy amphib By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Thursday May 31, 2007 9:59:56 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — The French Navy’s new 21,500-ton amphibious ship Tonnerre towered over the pier at this sprawling naval base, just as high as the 40,000-ton U.S. Navy assault ships tied up at piers on either side. But on coming aboard, a visitor is struck by something just not found inside the nearly twice-as-large American ships: space. Photos View a gallery of images of the Tonnerre The Tonnerre, second of France’s two Mistral-class Force Projection and Command (BPC) ships, is nearly as roomy as a cruise ship. Wide passag…

Greece Rethinks Eurofighter Deal By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ATHENS Originally posted to DefenceNews Greece is reconsidering a project by the former Socialist government to buy 60 Eurofighter jets for its air force, the defense ministry said here on April 9. As both the Greek prime minister and defense minister are due to visit the United States in the coming weeks, the press here is speculating the government may choose the U.S. F-16 instead. “The government has so far made no decision concerning the choice of company from which to buy the fourth generation jets. All options remain open,” defense ministry spokesman Stephanos Guikas told AFP. “A d…

Sea-testing of the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos I (the second largest warship of Europe, says the press release, waiting for the CVFs), one knot more about the expected maximum speed, and a new cut-away, none notice of the test in the Spanish media (in French): http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=113516

Russia: Bombers Grounded After Crash By C. J. Chivers The air force grounded its fleet of hundreds of Su-24 attack planes after one of the jets crashed during a training flight in Russia’s Far East. The pilots ejected safely and the cause of the crash was not clear, according to comments by Col. Aleksandr Drobyshevksy reported by Interfax. The Su-24 is a Soviet-era twin-engine jet that was first manufactured in the 1970s and saw action in the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. The crash occurred during a week in which President Vladimir V. Putin spoke of the need to modernize Russia’s civilian and military aviation sectors.