Malaysia is strengthening its military air ties with China and has sought the assistance of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in maintenance and logistics support for Malaysia's fleet of Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets.Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief Jeneral Datuk Seri Rodzali Daud said Malaysia was also looking into acquiring some Chinese military ware."China had risen to become the superpower of the region and is advanced in its technology as well and our relationship with China is gettin... Read Full Story

Malaysia's order for four Airbus A400M military planes will proceed but delivery will be delayed by at least three years to 2016, a senior official said Friday.The European aircraft manufacturer suffered a major blow on Thursday as South Africa cancelled a multi-billion dollar contract to buy eight of the aircraft because of delays and a huge cost rise.South Africa and Malaysia were the only two non-European orders for the A400M. Malaysia placed its order in 2005 for the four planes originall... Read Full Story

A week from today, the strongest gantry crane in the Western Hemisphere will lift into place an 81-foot by 96-foot hunk of steel, the first building block of the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier.In a keel-laying ceremony at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Newport News shipyard the morning of Nov. 14, a gang of workers will hoist the 900-ton structure into Dry Dock 12 in front of a gaggle of top Navy officials and dignitaries, including the late President Gerald R. Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, w... Read Full Story

Thales is keen to raise its stake in naval systems company DCNS to 35 percent from 25 percent, as systems integration plays an increasingly important part in the design and building of modern warships, said Marc Darmon, head of Thales' naval division."Lifting the stake in DCNS would boost synergies for DCNS and Thales, as the main task facing industry is the managing of integration risk, which comes from the complexity of systems," Darmon said.Thales makes radars, optronics for infrared searc... Read Full Story

India’s long-criticised Akash anti-aircraft missile is now blazing towards success. Its counterparts in the DRDO’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, the Prithvi and Agni ballistic missiles, were on target from the start; the anti-tank Nag missile will also enter service shortly; the Trishul short-range anti-aircraft missile was abandoned unceremoniously. Now, after years of rejection from the military, the Akash is being accepted as a world-class missile.Read more Read Full Story

Saab, a global provider of defence and civil security solutions, services and products, has expressed optimism about the Indian market and emphasised it was here to say. It said its presence in the Indian market would not be affected by the outcome of the Indian Air Force's 126-fighter jet global tender, in which it is a contender along with five others.Saab officials have stressed that they are looking at a ''long and sustainable relationship with India,'' and other than the IAF's MMRCA tend... Read Full Story

Iran's Defense Ministry is constructing the most advanced domestic multiple-purpose battleship, the acting commander of Iran's Navy says.Rear Admiral Gholam-Reza Bigham told Fars News Agency on Thursday that the battleship would shore up the country's "deterrence capabilities."The high tonnage of this battleship, the commander said would enable it to carry out missions in far-off waters.Read more Read Full Story

EU military chiefs are nervous that their advice will not carry the same weight once the new Lisbon Treaty is in place and that the planned diplomatic service will not contain enough experienced military personnel.Europe's chiefs of defence gathered in Brussels on Wednesday (4 November) to review all military operations under the EU flag and to witness the handover of power from outgoing EU military committee chair, Frenchman Henri Bentegeat, to Sweden's Hakan Syren.But the hotter topic - dea... Read Full Story

Boeing today announced that it delivered the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) third F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet three months ahead of schedule on Sept. 30, after completing production on the multirole fighter at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' St. Louis facility.Boeing publicly debuted the first of the RAAF's 24 Super Hornets in St. Louis on July 8. Each of the three completed aircraft has been delivered three months ahead of schedule."We look forward to continuing to deliver Australi... Read Full Story

The Indian Defence Ministry is negotiating the purchase of C-17 heavy-lift Globemaster aircraft from the United States through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, say ministry sources.The U.S. Air Force flew the Globemaster in a joint air exercise between the air forces of the two countries held in India Oct. 19-23 at Agra to let the Indian military familiarize itself with the transport craft, said a senior Indian Air Force official.India is negotiating the purchase of 10 C-17 aircraft ma... Read Full Story