Current Events in Europe

Meet the Su-57 Oddly enough, I 'predicted' this back in 2011 in Fighter Ops...

ADMIRAL KUROYEDOV PLANS IMPROVEMENTS TO RUSSIAN NAVY By Roger McDermott Friday, June 10, 2005 Eurasia Daily Monitor Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, has promised improvements to the Navy in response to the challenge of meeting emerging and future threats to the Russian state or its interests. These reforms, long overdue and vital if the collapse of the Navy is to be avoided, envisage the creation of strike forces in conjunction with other service branches. It also underscores Kuroyedov's confidence that he will retain his post, despite the catalogue of Naval disasters that has plagued his tenure in recent years, and despite …

Lots of BBC coverage. Big one for us here is the carrier agreement; this could result in a situation where (if France agreed) F-35s flew off Charles de Gaulle to defend the Falklands. Tabloids screaming from the rooftops, as to be expected; the entente cordiale has never quite reached the red-tops.

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 Aviation Week [excerpt]

All you folks writing new scenarios around the South Ossetian affair can add the De Gaulle to the OOB. From ARES Blog 100 Says to Go Before Charles de Gaulle Returns to Active Duty Posted by Christina Mackenzie at 8/22/2008 11:33 AM CDT The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier came out of its dry dock in the Mediterraean port of Toulon on a beautiful August 22 dawn and has another 100 days of maintenance and upgrade at quayside before it can go back to sea. The French flagship has been undergoing its first major technical stoppage (known in French as an IPER which stands for: Indisponibilité Périodique pour Entretien et Réparations or periodical indi…

From Aviation Week [excerpt]

Former Soviet officer honored with Dresden Prize for averting nuclear war (Voice of Russia)

This Sunday at 5 EDT, Michael Cee, author of the World War 1987 blog, retired USAF and military policy expert (and also a friend of mine) will be the host on CDR Salamanders Midrats pod cast on Blogtalk Radio. Give it a listen, should be some very interesting insights into what’s really going on in this bit of brinkmanship. https://www.blogtalkradio.com/midrats

From Defense Aerospace Franco-Italian Horizon Programme: Chevalier Paul Launched (Source: DCN; issued July 13, 2006) LORIENT, France --- The Chevalier Paul, the second of two Horizon anti-air warfare (AAW) frigates for the French Navy, was ceremonially launched at DCN's Lorient shipyard on Wednesday 12 July 2006. The event was organised jointly by DCN and Horizon SAS. In addition to representatives of the main Horizon partners, the guests of honour included Laurent Giovachini, deputy director of French defence procurement agency DGA and director of weapon systems. The launch marks an important milestone in this Franco-Italian naval cooperation programme. …

From Defense Aerospace Astor Gears Up For Takeoff (Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued Dec. 1, 2008) The MoD has today declared the technologically advanced ASTOR (Airborne Stand-Off Radar) in service with the RAF, on the Sentinel R1 aircraft. The new radar system will be operated by the RAF's Number 5 (Army Co-Operation) Squadron based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire providing a new all-weather intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability to assist commanders on the battlefield. Operating at altitudes in excess of 40,000ft, for over 9 hours at a time, the aircraft is capable of detecting and recognising moving, static…

Navy to commission missile defense base in Romania (Stars and Stripes)

Canadians, French, U.S. Hunt For Submarine Off Scotland (Aviation Week)

From http:/www.defence-aerospace.com NATO Forces Gather in the Mediterranean for the World’s Largest Annual Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise Source: NATO; issued Feb. 25, 2005 Ten NATO nations will provide six submarines, ten maritime patrol aircraft and 16 surface ships to take part in NOBLE MARLIN 05 (NM 05), the world’s largest anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise from 03 to 16 March 2005. The exercise will take place in the Ionian Sea to the Southeast of Sicily. Forces are provided by Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Six submarines from France (1), Germany (1), Gr…

The Myth of Russian Aggression and NATO Expansion (Strategy Bridge)

From http://www.defense-aerospace.com Ministry of Defence Announces AirTanker Ltd as Preferred Bidder on FSTA Programme Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued Feb. 28, 2005 The Royal Air Force is a step closer to getting a modern air refuelling aircraft under a Private Finance Initiative programme worth £13bn. The British based AirTanker consortium has today been selected as Preferred Bidder for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme, which will create hundreds of jobs in the UK and sustain thousands of others. Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary said: "FSTA is the MoD's biggest Private Finance Initiative project. I applaud the positive…

From DefenseNews Posted 11/28/07 15:54 Norway Notes Raised Russian Submarine, Air Activity By GERARD O’DWYER, HELSINKI The second half of 2007 has seen an increase in submarine activity out of Russia’s Northern Fleet Base (NFB) in Murmansk, according to fresh “tracking” reports produced by the Norway Armed Forces’ Military Intelligence Unit (MIU) for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) The increase in submarine activity mirrors a rise in scheduled and unflagged exercises by Russian air Force in the North Atlantic and off Norway’s western coast, the report observes. However, the report notes that Norway’s territorial waters and airspace have not been violated by the i…

NATO Publics Blame Russia for Ukrainian Crisis, but Reluctant to Provide Military Aid (Pew Research Center)

British navy arrives in Gibraltar amid tension with Spain (Reuters)

Russia Launches Construction of New Patrol Ship Class (RIA Novosti)