Slovenia’s C-Astral has confirmed supplying its Belin unmanned aerial system, also known as Bramor C4EYE, to Ukraine. According to the drone maker, it recently donated several UAS units through an initiative facilitated by the Slovenian government. In an interview with Defense News at the GSOF Symposium last week, Jernej Moderc, a drone pilot for C-Astral,...
Category: Geopolitical Issues
Elbit Lands $135M Deal to Build Ammo Factory for International Client
Israel’s Elbit Systems has secured a $135 million contract to build an artillery ammunition factory for an unnamed customer. According to the company, the agreement requires its technical knowledge and ammunition production experience to establish the factory, which the Haifa-based organization will construct and operate. The deal, to be performed over a two-year period, includes...
German Air Force Exploring Use of Passive Radar Tech in Air Defense
Germany is testing a passive radar technology for possible deployment in air defense systems, according to Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, commander of the German Air Force. The experiment aims to determine if the capability can provide an early warning for upcoming threats, Gerhartz told Defense News. According to the publication, the service is testing Hensoldt’s...
New Cybersecurity Center Looks to Defend Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure
The Ukrainian National Center for Cybersecurity Coordination and energy security developer IP3 are collaborating under the Collective Defense AI Fusion Center, a unified platform for Ukraine and its allies to ward off cyberattacks, particularly on energy installations. Supported by the Ukraine Energy Security Fund, CDAIC is an offshoot of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decree No. 695...
NATO’s Military Committee Chief Shares Regional Plan to Address Threats in the Arctic
Melting Arctic sea ice is creating new routes that adversaries like Russia and China may utilize for “potentially nefarious intentions,” warned the chair of the military committee for NATO. At the 10th Arctic Circle Assembly held in Iceland, Adm. Rob Bauer, who also serves as military adviser to the secretary general of NATO, presented the...
Israel Halts Defense Cooperation With Bogota Over Colombian President’s Pro-Palestinian Messages
Israel has suspended its defense dealings with Colombia following a tense exchange on social media between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Israeli Ambassador to Bogota Gali Dagan. Analysts based in Bogota told the Associated Press that the development could jeopardize several military contracts, including maintenance work on Colombia’s Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir combat aircraft. The...
UK Naval Chief Calls for Cooperation on Countering Threats to Undersea Cables
Adm. Ben Key, first sea lord of the UK Royal Navy, said militaries and maritime communities must work together to provide better security to seabed cables that enable data transmission across the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. During a conversation with the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday, Key, who advises senior ministers of...
France to Boost Ammo, Weapons Output to Replace Capabilities Shipped to Ukraine
French defense companies have increased their production of self-propelled guns, artillery shells, fighter jets and anti-air missiles, according to Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu. In a statement on social media Tuesday, the minister said the boosted ammunition and weapons output reflects France’s shift to a “war economy.” He added that the ramped-up production...
Poland Seeks Multirole Fighters for Air Superiority Wish List
The European consortium-made Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing’s F-15EX Eagle II are the “only two options” for the air superiority that Poland seeks over Russian warplanes, Tomasz Smura, director of the research office at the Warsaw-based Casimir Pulaski Foundation, told Defense News. Smura, a resident fellow at the foundation who specializes in military technologies and U.S....
South Korean Authorities Raise Security, Economic Concerns Over Private Sector Work With Taiwan
South Korean authorities said marine engineering company SI Innotec’s $12 million contract to supply equipment to a Taiwanese shipbuilder posed a national security threat because it might trigger economic sanctions from its top trading partner, China, which claims Taiwan as its territory. According to a Feb. 17, 2022, police affidavit obtained by Reuters, SI Innotec’s...