World Defense News

The jet is the world's most expensive weapons system and costs have rocketed One went down over Beaufort, South Carolina at 11.45am local time today The pilot ejected before the crash and is now being treated by medical personnel The F-35B jet went down near a military base in South Carolina, US as photographs from the scene show a thick cloud of smoke enveloping the area. The Ministry of Defence has said it will not be grounding any planes for the time being - but that could change following the investigation.  A US F-35 pilot was forced to eject midair after the $100million fighter jet crashed in South Carolina (pictured; the smoking aftermath of the crash) A thick cloud of smoke enveloped the area around the crash site close to a military base in South Carolina  Today the Marine Corps are busy investigating what caused one of the planes to go down during a training exercise at 11.45am local time today.  A spokesman said: 'Marines from MCAS ...

Visitors examine a replica of the Dutch F-35C Lightning II joint striker fighter aircraft during the Dutch Air Force Days at Leeuwarden Air Base in Leeuwarden on June 10, 2016. (Photo credit Vincent Jannink/AFP/Getty Images) COLOGNE, Germany – Dutch defense minister Ank Bijleveld has eliminated the country’s budget cap for F-35 purchases, opening the possibility of buying more planes in the future, a spokesman confirmed to Defense News. The defense ministry spokesman described the move as “just a formality” that would not require parliamentary approval, as the Dutch objective of buying 37 copies of the Lockheed Martin-made jet for €4.7 billion remains in place. But it means “we leave the option open to buy new planes” beyond those already envisioned in the budget, the spokesman said. The development was first reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which wrote that the air force was angling to eventually get 67 aircraft. That amount would be enough to field fou...

The LCS Tulsa underway for acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The sensor packages destined for the littoral combat ships are caught in a cycle of budget cuts and delays. (Austal USA). WASHINGTON — Congress loves buying littoral combat ships, but when it comes to the packages of sensors and systems that make the ships useful, lawmakers have been less enthusiastic. In the 2019 Defense Department funding bill that just left the conference committee, lawmakers have funded a 33rd, 34th and 35th littoral combat ship, three more than the 32-ship requirement set by the Navy. But when it comes to the mission modules destined to make each ship either a mine sweeper, submarine hunter or small surface combatant, that funding has been slashed. Appropriators cut all funding in 2019 for the anti-submarine warfare package, a variable-depth sonar and a multifunction towed array system that the Navy was aiming to have declared operational next year, citing only tha...

Turkey’s first indigenous helicopter, the T625, could be an option for Pakistan. (TAI) ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey pledged this week to increase defense cooperation between the two countries to new levels, but after a string of recent deals, analysts believe further cooperation will be incremental. Speaking to Turkey’s Daily Sabah, Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi highlighted defense relations such as recent deals for platforms like the T-129 helicopter gunships and Milgem corvettes, which he said would further improve as the countries continue to explore new opportunities. The existing deals alone are likely to see substantial offsets and technological input for Pakistani industry, and build upon existing supply of defense technology critical for all three branches of Pakistan’s military. Pakistan’s defense industry generally lags behind other nations, and has struggled to offer much in return bar a deal for the PAC Super Mushak ba...

MBDA’s Spectre combat UAV concept firing the Enforcer lightweight guided weapon system. Source: MBDA MBDA in the United Kingdom has unveiled a new combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) concept designed to provide on-call, low-cost organic precision effects close air support for forward-deployed land forces. Spectre is a tilt wing, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) combat air system concept capable of quickly transitioning to forward flight mode for rapid traversal over complex terrain at low altitude. Designed with an integrated modular payload bay capable of incorporating systems up to 25 kg, Spectre can be equipped with either two MBDA Enforcers or a single Missile Moyenne Portee (MMP) multirole weapons system to address light armoured, soft-skinned and unmanned threats, or heavier armoured threats. The Spectre system can ‘find and fix’ beyond line-of-sight threats in complex operational environments to assist deployed ground forces. It also incorporates a ‘wat...

The Il-20 aircraft was returning to a Russian base on the north-western coast of Syria (file photo) Russia has said Syria shot down one of its military planes - but laid the blame for the deaths of the 15 personnel on board with Israel. The defence ministry said Israeli jets put the Il-20 plane into the path of Syrian air defence systems on Monday after failing to give Moscow enough warning of a strike on Syrian targets. The Il-20 disappeared off the radar at about 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT). The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has expressed "sorrow" over the deaths. However, in a statement released on Twitter, it added: "Israel holds the [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane, fully responsible for this incident." It went on to say its jets were back in Israeli airspace by the time the missiles were launched. Israel - which also blamed Iran and Hezbollah - rarely acknowledges carrying out strikes on Syria...

WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia continue to be at odds with each other over a military verification treaty, to the point where no flights have been conducted in 2018. The latest issue with the Open Skies Treaty came to light earlier this week, with Russian officials saying the U.S. has refused to clear its planes for overflight of U.S. territory. Under the treaty, 34 countries, including both the U.S. and Russia, agree to allow unarmed surveillance flights over their territory to provide information gathering about military forces. “In breach of the Open Skies Treaty provisions, the head of the U.S. delegation refused to sign the final document, without giving any explanations or reasons, and citing direct instructions from Washington,” said Sergei Ryzhkov, the chief of Russia’s Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, according to the Tass news agency. “We insist that the U.S. side return to the Open Skies Treaty framework and demand that the current situat...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, shake hands over the military demarcation line upon meeting for the Inter-Korean Summit on April 27, 2018 in Panmunjom, South Korea.  Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images North Korea and South Korea opened their first liaison office to facilitate better communication and exchanges. The office is the first of its kind since the end of the Korean War, and replaces previous telephone and fax-like communication channels. The opening comes days before the two leaders meet for the third time this year. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The rival Koreas on Friday opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders' summit in Pyongyang next week. The office's opening at the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year. The office is the first of its ...