2013-08-02 The French Air Force has received the first of its A400Ms, which are the first to be delivered by Airbus Military to a customer. According to an Airbus Military press release dated 8/1/13: Airbus Military has today formally delivered the first A400M new generation airlifter, which is known in…
2013-07-31 by Richard Weitz The PRC-Russian relationship is the process of further development. Three recent measures of that development are the following: Their growing energy trade, Their collusion in helping NSA leaker Edward Snowden gain asylum, and their renewed arms sales. In another sign of a deepening relationship, they recently…
2013-07-31 The Osprey has often been under fire Inside the Beltway. Recently, the pilots of an Osprey team have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for surviving under combat fire. The two Osprey pilots are the recipients of the first Distinguished Flying Crosses along with their Air Crew, which received…
2013-07-31 Recently, the pilots of an Osprey team have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for surviving under combat fire. This recognition is for the role of the Osprey in assault missions and is itself a measure of the maturing of the system and its crews in combat. The two…
2013-07-29 by Guy Martin The Special Forces are a potentially useful asset that can be used by the SADC Standby Force as a force multiplier, according to South African Army Colonel Renier Coetzee. Coetzee, speaking on behalf of Brigadier General Rudzani Maphwanya, head of the South African Special Forces, at…
2013-07-29 By Robbin Laird Last year, I provided an update on Osprey from the perspective of several years of combat under its belt. http://breakingdefense.com/2012/08/23/the-osprey-after-five-years-leading-a-tsunami-of-change/ This year, my visit to New River Air Station brought into focus the maturing of the Osprey and the preparation of the USMC for the next…
2013-07-28 By Robbin Laird As an American defense analyst and journalist, I recently had a chance to review the challenges facing Canadian defense during a visit to Ottawa. During this interview with Editor-in-Chief, Chris Maclean, and Richard Bray, long time reporter and senior writer from FrontLine Defence magazine, we discussed…
2013-07-26 The French operation in Mali opened up a space within which to deploy coalition forces and to shape the opportunity for African forces to perform a peacekeeping mission in that country. But to do so requires assets for the African nations to play their role. No asset is more…