Category: News

Ukraine orders artillery ammo plant from Rheinmetall

155 mm ammunition | Photo: Rheinmetall

The order is for a turnkey factory that will become a ‘Ukrainian Centre of Excellence for Ammunition’ to be operated by a Rheinmetall joint venture with a Ukrainian state-owned company, that will begin production within 24 months to manufacture hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition per year.

German defence chief warns of Russian military build-up

Carsten Breuer, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, speaks at the opening of the Bundeswehr Day at the Holzdorf site at Saxony-Anhalt, Holzdorf-Schoenewalde on June 08, 2024. Breuer has said he sees a growing danger in Russia's military build-up | Photo: Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa

“The Russian army increases its number of tanks by 1,000 to 1,500 additional units every year. The five largest European NATO member states together have just half of that in their inventory,” said Germany’s chief of defence Carsten Breuer.

Scholz addresses criticism of German defence spending

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) is shown various combat exercises during his visit to the mountain infantry brigade on the Reiteralpe | Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa

Scholz’s coalition has faced criticism over the small increase in the 2025 budget for defence. “In 2017, we still spent €37 billion ($42 billion) on defence. Now, with the use of the special fund, the Bundeswehr‘s budget is €75 billion. That’s more or less a doubling,” Scholz said.

Germany’s Baerbock backs U.S. missiles to deter Russia

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a press conference | Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa

The U.S. and German governments announced plans for the deployment of U.S. missile systems that could reach Russia. These include nuclear-capable Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometres, SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly-developed hypersonic missiles.

04 more A330 MRTT refuellers for Saudi Arabia

A Royal Saudi Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) | Photo: Pablo Cabellos del Sol/Airbus Defence and Space

The Royal Saudi Air Force already operates six Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft and the four new aircraft are expected to enter service in 2027. A total of 82 A330 MRTT aircraft have been ordered by 15 countries, giving Airbus a 90 percent market share outside the USA.

Germany says Hungary’s EU presidency causing ‘a lot of damage’

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited former U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Florida in a trip he labelled "Peace mission 5.0" on July 12, 2024 | Photo: Twitter/X feed of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said that Orbán could travel wherever he wanted, adding, “What is not acceptable is that he travels through the world with the impression that he is doing so on behalf of others. And there will certainly be further discussion about how to deal with this.”

Pushback against conscription plans in Germany

Two female soldiers of the German Armed Forces, Vivian T. (L) and Ramona F. (R) walk across the grounds of Lueneburg's Theodor Koerner Barracks in Lower Saxony on November 17, 2022 | File Photo: Philipp Schulze/dpa

Economic researchers and partners in the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz have warned of immense economic costs and legal difficulties that could result from plans for military conscription proposed by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in June in an attempt to boost the numbers of the German armed forces.

Kremlin slams plans for long-range U.S. weapons in Germany

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov complains about support for Ukraine from Germany, France, the UK and the USA | File Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/KREMLIN/dpa

Russia has criticized the planned stationing of long-range US weapons in Germany as a return to the Cold War, after German leaders said the step was necessary due to the increased threat posed by Russia to European security. “We are well on the way to a Cold War. This has all happened before,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

‘Successful’ launch for Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket

Ariane 6 launches to the sky on July 09, 2024 | Photo: European Space Agency/S. Corvaja

The European Space Agency (ESA) described the operation as a success, as Europe seeks to recover from a crisis in its launch sector, although an auxiliary drive in the upper stage, which was supposed to burn up on the way back to Earth, stopped shortly after ignition, with the two re-entry capsules not being released and the upper stage now remaining in space with the two capsules.

U.S. announces $2.35B military aid for Ukraine

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Gerard Holodak, with the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB), fires an M136E1 AT4-CS confined space light anti-armour weapon at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on October 12, 2017 | Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Westin Warburton

The latest round of military aid worth USD 150 million is the Biden administration’s 60th tranche of aid since August 2021, including artillery and ammunition from its own inventories, in addition to purchases of air defence systems worth USD 2.2 billion for Ukraine.

Russia to make armour-piercing tank ammo in India
| Indo-Russian JV also completes delivery of 35,000 AK203 rifles to India

Mango APFSDS rounds | Photo: Rosoboronexport

Russia has set up manufacturing of the Mango armour-piercing tank round in India, designed to be fired from the guns of T-72 and T-90 Main Battle Tanks and penetrate composite armour. It has also announced the delivery of 35,000 AK203 rifles to the Indian defence ministry, manufactured by the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited joint venture at Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

U.S. postpones military exercise in Georgia

Members of Georgian special operations forces and Green Berets with U.S. Army 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) perform a training dive in Batumi, Georgia, October 25, 2023 in Exercise Georgian Wave | Photo: U.S. Army/Staff Sgt. Laura Bauer

The Pentagon said last week the U.S. will indefinitely postpone a military exercise in Georgia ‘due to the Georgian government’s false accusations against the United States and other western entities, to pressure Georgia to open a second front against Russia to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, and of participating in two coup attempts against the ruling party.’

Germany to surrender key airbase in Niger after talks fail

An German Luftwaffe A400M military air transport aircraft stands on the tarmac of the 62nd Air Transport Wing in Wunstorf, Lower Saxony | File Photo: Ole Spata/dpa

While French troops had left the military-run country last year, the last U.S. troops are also expected to imminently depart the country, with Russian troops already on site to take their place after creating a presence in Mali and Burkina Faso, also taken over by the military.