Morocco Begins Harfang UAV Operations

03/04/2020
By defenceWeb Morocco’s military has apparently taken delivery of three Harfang (Heron) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a number of years after expressing interest in acquiring them from France. According to Intelligence Online, the Moroccan military received the three Israel Aerospace Industries-built UAVs on 26 January. The aircraft will most likely…

Audit Office Calls on France to Boost UAV Fleet – With Caution

03/02/2020
By Pierre Tran Paris - France should reach agreement on a European project for a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone, while keeping close budgetary watch and ensure military needs were met, the national audit office said in a Feb. 25 report. That report was published just a few days before Airbus presented…

French-Australian Naval Cooperation, 2020

03/01/2020
By LEUT Jessica Craig THE strength of French and Australian defence cooperation was on show when HMAS Parramatta and Marine Nationale ship FNS La Moqueuse sailed into Sydney Harbour in company on January 31. The 3600-tonne frigate Parramatta manoeuvred seamlessly with the 480-tonne patrol vessel La Moqueuse, entering Sydney heads…

An Update on the Nigerian Air Force: Anticipated Arrival of JF-17 Fighter Jets

02/25/2020
By defenceWeb The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will take delivery of its JF-17 Thunder fighter jets in November this year, and A-29 Super Tucano turboprops in 2022, according to the Chief of Air Staff. Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, speaking during the graduation of 2 079 new recruits on 15 February…

Deterrence in Depth: From Japan to Amarillo, the Case of the Osprey

02/14/2020
We have highlighted in our work both on Pacific and European defense, the importance of shaping a deterrence in depth strategy to deal with the 21st century authoritarian powers. Such a strategy is facilitated by global partnerships, which allow for enhanced interoperability, and in some cases operating core innovative platforms…

French Minister Sees German Approval Soon for Fighter Jet Project

02/09/2020
By Pierre Tran Paris French armed forces minister Florence Parly recently highlighted the decisive role of the German Bundestag parliament in launching a Franco-German project for a technology demonstrator for a next-generation fighter. Their votes for the project would be, in her view, a sign of political support for European…

How Prepared is Germany and the EU for 21st Century Geo-political Competition?

01/26/2020
By Kenneth Maxwell Angela Merkel has been in power for 14 years. She was first elected as chancellor of Germany in 2005. She was then re-elected in 2009, and again in 2013, and for a further term in 2018. She plans to stay on until 2021. 67% of Germans approve of…

Europe and the Libyan Crisis: Geopolitics of a European Union or Traditional European Geopolitics?

01/25/2020
By Pierre Tran Paris - The next few weeks will be critical for Libya as much depends on opposing sides of the civil war maintaining a fragile ceasefire and their foreign backers observing an arms embargo, Tarek Megerisi, policy fellow at the European Council for Foreign Relations, said in a…